Is it really Jolly?

Well the holiday season is truly upon us, the season to be jolly... families and friends gather to celebrate, share gifts and feast together.. The celebrations are named many things depending on your beliefs and traditions. One holiday tradition I am noticing more as the years pass, is the tradition of irritable parents, frazzled shoppers, rude people, crying children and arguing couples.. and this is all at the local mall!
Saturday morning dawned sunny and bright, so we decided to head off to the local mall nice and early to finish a few last minute errands. Well nice and early turned into mid morning and by the time we got there, the place was rocking.
It all started well for us, but as the morning progressed I started to feel little hot and bothered, a question was asked me and I really felt agitated by it - biting back the need to snap the answer.. then the power went off.. Nooo it wasn't me I had nothing to do with it (least I don't think so) lol.. masses of people filed out of the shops, jamming the walkways - so we decided to leave.. Now I am not claustrophobic but when I got outside, my man turned to me and said, "gee's your sucking in the big ones".. I hadn't noticed to be honest until he mentioned it - Big cleansing breaths.. why? Because I had just walked out of a place filled with a number of people none to jolly.. Have you ever noticed that? Becoming totally smothered by the negative energy of the rushing throngs and the noise of the squabbling and impatience.
It is kind of sad, that so many people bow to the pressure of advertising company's, feeling the need to compete with Joe Blogs gift from last year, or turkey size .. blowing credit card limits and budgets for the sake of appearances all leading to the reasons for the season being left far behind. Don't get me wrong I have so been there myself and ended up not quiet as jolly as I should have been..
As I walk along this Pagan path though, I feel blessed to be learning to get back to basics, to realise that people are more important than things. I am blessed to know that each day is a celebration and is sacred to me. I am learning that the greatest gifts I can give are not material but things of myself.. love, friendship, trust, understanding, hope, knowledge, joy, wisdom.
Do I still buy gifts? of course I do but the pressure to *compete with the relatives* has been replaced and each gift is bought with love and forethought..
Our shopping trip? well we came home, ate a quiet lunch, centered and went back out.. to a mall with power and with my own energy source intact again.
Bright Blessings