I get it now. I get why, when I was young, the Christmas season wasn’t quite as exciting for my parents as it was for me.

After all, as a six, seven, or eight year old – or, really, even at age 15 or 18 – the holidays were easy. The biggest issue I faced was how to avoid eating any brussel sprouts; the rest of the time it was all about anticipating gifts, opening gifts, enjoying gifts.

Well, not quite all: there was also so much candy to eat; there were days in pyjamas lounging by the fireplace; there were fun trips to visit relatives. And, of course, the joy of Christmas carols, of TV specials, of tree decorations.

It meant many of those things for my parents, too. They too enjoyed the family tradition of watching the Grinch steal Christmas and together we cheerily dug through boxes to find heirloom ornaments and the matching set of hand-knit Christmas stockings. Oddly, they even seemed to like that part about the brussel sprouts. But they, unlike their child, also faced the financial stress, gift-buyer’s indecision and familial tug-of-war that strikes with the holiday season.

And now I too am old enough to wake up from the old sugarplum-dreams and start counting pennies, considering who might be insulted to receive ‘just’ a gift certificate and negotiating who will celebrate where. (I’m also old enough to enjoy brussel sprouts. Maybe there’s some sort of correlation there?)

This year, the ongoing economic downturn has put a further damper on the pleasures of the upcoming holiday season. Last year I took on the miracle of Christmas by sallying forth with enthusiasm and a credit card, but it’ll be harder to face the season of unrepentant consumerism with the feeling that we should all be squirreling extra funds away for the next few years.

People have lost jobs and lost savings; it’s hard to buy someone a frivolous, impractical gift without thinking even more than ever about how that purchase could instead have gone towards supporting a family who can’t afford any Christmas cheer. And do think about that: this year the food bank, the toy drive and the hamper fund are all going to need a big helping hand from those of us who can pitch in.

Then there’s the pull in the opposite direction: in order to keep the economy going, we’ve got to get spending, not saving. The retailers need us; consumer confidence is key. Plus, we’re reminded that there will be extra money floating around in the economy because of suddenly-slumping gas prices. It’s all very confusing; I don’t envy my parents, who had to navigate Christmas during recessions in the ‘80s and ‘90s. I didn’t notice a difference, though. I just happily unwrapped my talking Teddy Ruxpin doll (’80s) or portable CD player (’90s).

The economic issues, of course, will go beyond Christmas, whether I choose to spend, spend, spend or instead, hand-make gifts this year (my family, reading this, is now trembling at the very thought).

As to my other Christmas crises, I shall banish them and replace them with sugarplums: I will pledge to enjoy the same things about Christmas that I always have, the same things I enjoyed at five, at 12, at 22.

I will spend a day in my pyjamas by the fireside, although it’s now up to me to negotiate whose fireside that will be. I will open gifts and love them, even – especially – if the giver has chosen to go the hand-made route. There will be too much candy to eat and a regretful stomach.

I will sing Jingle Bells (once, to say I did) and Good King Wenceslas (many times). The Grinch is still stealing Christmas, only to give it back; there is still a hand-knitted stocking out there with my name on it. And, of course, I will gather together with family, and I will get to say, “Pass the brussel sprouts.”

The holidays don’t get much better than that.

Cat George is a reporter for the Peninsula News Review.

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