Holidays, finances, and time to reassess

We’ve just passed a season of celebrations. We roll right from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas and on to New Year’s Eve. There are parties, decorations to go up, and presents to purchase. December’s budget becomes a horror film all on its own if we do not plan and use restraint on giving as well as travel, even food and lodging costs. By the time the season is over, and the New Year has begun, we can be rung out both physically and emotionally. And for what--so our kids, and/or grandkids can play with the boxes the expensive toys came in? What was the point?

Did we have time to actually talk to family members? Really enjoy our get-togethers? Who wants to look at the expenses we incurred when we open January’s mail? Yikes! Just whom did we think we were impressing? Maybe it is time to reassess priorities.

Holidays are wonderful and have such meaning. It is good to get together as families, to not only eat and fellowship, but also to consider our many blessings and give thanks. When we remember to give thanks, Thanksgiving lifts up instead of drains us.

As for next Christmas, do we have to participate in everything? In traveling, we can set boundaries considering what is best for the health and well-being of our family. Decide to stay home? Use Zoom to reach out to family and friends. As for presents, look at your budget. What can you truly afford? Nothing wrong with shopping discounts and dollar stores. Think about the likes and dislikes of those receiving the gifts. A well-thought-out gift, that doesn’t break the budget, is much better than some expensive do-dad the giver doesn’t even want.

Sometimes it takes more courage to say “No” than yes. As for Christmas, if you’re too busy to celebrate the true meaning of the season, you’ll miss the joy altogether. True joy is in celebrating Jesus who came to earth to bring new life, hope…and joy.

When Keith’s folks were alive and after the Scheidies family got much larger with spouses, kids, grandkids and great-grandkids scheduling was a nightmare. Keith’s mom made it much more simple. She designated the weekend after Thanksgiving as our time of celebration. This became our “Thankmas,” During that weekend we celebrated Thanksgiving,, Christmas, birthdays around that time, and any other special events in our lives. The pressure of trying to juggle different family celebrations became instead a joy of simply spending time together. You can use creativity in your celebrations.

Most of all remember celebrations aren’t about money, gifts or showing off. It is connecting with those we love. A good New Year’s resolution is to commit to going into the next holiday season with a plan, with a budget, and with a way to maximize our fellowship with one another.

A belated--Happy New Year!

© 2023 Carolyn R Scheidies

Column published Kearney Hub 1/10/23

Feel free to share

Blog Bio October is all about the spooky.

During this October season, stores are filled with skeletons, monsters, demonic characters, witches, and more. These items displayed in stores and catalogs are available for decorating home or yard. Costumes follow the same pattern.

We are encouraged to participate in this holiday which grows in importance every year. It is also the one holiday we celebrate that does not lift up. This holiday actually celebrates all that is dark, pagan, demonic, and evil.

The title Halloween comes from an attempt hundreds of years ago to redeem this celebration of all things evil. The church tried to turn attention away from paganism to Christian saints calling it All Hallows Eve—which has become Halloween. Such a move was only partially successful.

When I was a child, this holiday was not a big economic boon for markets. It was more of a fun night to dress up in homemade costumes, I was usually a hobo. My friends and I went house to house and gathered a bucket load of candy. You could only find a few Halloween items in the stores that were more focused on fall harvest than Halloween.

There were always pumpkins—usually from someone’s garden. No expensive costumes. As years passed, this holiday became more pronounced—and more dangerous. Part of the blame is from a culture turning away from the light of Christ, part from horror books and movies available.

The question for Christ-followers is—how do we deal with this celebration of darkness? Do we participate along with everyone else, or do we use the holiday to celebrate light? In the past, I’ve handed out candy, pencils, colorful bookmarks, and tracts about Jesus. Some hold parties with fun costumes that do not hark back to darkness and monsters. Churches have done something similar. Jesus calls us to be lights in the darkness. How will we be His light this Halloween?

© 2022 Carolyn R Scheidies

Feel free to share

Blog Scaring up memories of fun Halloweens

Erica Marsland Huynh@partyintheshire

Though this Halloween (during te Covid pandemic) was very different from other Halloween celebrations, it brought back memories of other times in my life when the holiday was different.

When I was a child, Halloween wasn’t a big thing. Stores didn’t carry costumes. Parents and kids made their own. Mine was easy--torn pants, sloppy shirt, a long stick with a bandana pouch tied to it, and I became a hobo.

My friends and I each brought a bag and went house to house for candy. (Then my folks rationed our haul, so we didn’t eat it all at once.)

By the time our children were ready to Trick or Treat, Halloween had become a much bigger celebration and much more dark. It had also become less safe. Razor blades were found in apples and other treats were doctored in cruel ways. Parents were told to only take their children to the homes of those they knew.

Bryant School decided to hold its own Halloween celebration. A college student friend went with Chris and I dealt with Cassie. The kids had a good time and still brought home treats.

Then a person from a large Kearney church conceived of a way to provide fun and food in a safe and positive environment. She and others from the church contacted other churches and formed a committee to plan what became Bibleland Carnival which became THE place to go on Halloween.

The concept was to come in a character from the Bible. This opened costumes up to animals, characters—and not all Bible characters are good characters.

Different booths had a variety of delicious food. There were bounce houses, huge slides, all types of games, including a cakewalk and actual pony and horse rides. For years, our family assisted at Bibleland Carnival.

Of course, we made sure the kids, and whatever friend they brought with them, had time to eat and play games. One year I took tickets for the pony rides by an open side door. (Brr.) I had a stool so I could rest when needed. It was metal with an open center.

That year Cassie kept doing the Cakewalk. She ended up with five cakes we stored stacked up under my stool. Later we gave most of them away. The yearly Bibleland lasted long after Chris and Cassie left home for college and work, and Chris married.

One year, Chris and his wife brought their three littles to enjoy the carnival. Another generation of memories. Without Bibleland or kids at home, we returned to sitting by the front door and offering treats to the kids who came to the door. By then, also, we attended a church in the area and knew a lot of the kids. Besides candy, I tried to offer little toys, pens, etc.

But even this next generation of kids grew up and the nearby neighborhood aged. Finally, with almost no one coming to the door, we stopped buying treats to give out to nonexistent Trick or Treaters.

It is sad with the circumstances this year, most parents chose to keep kids at home. I have memories, my children and grandchildren have memories of Halloween. Our daughter took her two little ones to a park. A lady who was giving out treats gave them each a treat bag. I’m glad our youngest grandkids will have good memories of the day.

However, next year, I hope we can celebrate in a safe, positive way—and with kids going house to house, filling their bags with treats.

© 2020 Carolyn R Scheidies
Published in Kearney Hub 11/16/2020
Feel free to share