Some days there are no words for how I feel....the more I look at this world and what it is becoming, it saddens me.  While watching TV with my children briefly, every commercial was one wasteful, cheap, bizarre, toy or trinket that they should want and need.  You can tell that the materialistic Christmas in on it's way....I mean it is November, why celebrate Thanksgiving.  Christmas music is on the seasonal music channel, trees and decorations are in the stores (which I had seen some of those in stores the end of September this year), and the generic gift packs are out and ready to buy.  What happened to enjoying life one day at a time? Why can we not as a society slow down and enjoy the moments a little?  What happened to homemade and handmade Christmas's?  Where did the idea come about that you have to buy and have 20+ presents under the tree or spend X amount of money per person?  How do you go about teaching your children what Christmas is really about when there is all of this commercialism, and things that don't matter being hurled at them on a daily basis?  I am done with the questions that I can not answer... I have decided I am going to try to teach them how to be thankful for family and friends, to show love in ways as little as baking and decorating a cake together to show that you care.  I think we are going to try to have a homemade Christmas this year.  Time spent with the one's you love means so much more then some store bought dust collector, some of the best gifts I have ever received were the 1/2 hog for my freezer, a quilt my children helped make, and the gifts that you use on a routine basis, love my slippers, hats, scarves and camera, but in the end the best present that can be given is oneself. The best Holidays for me, are when the family gets together, we spend the day eating, talking, laughing, and playing games together!!! I hope that everyone can slow down enough to enjoy this holiday season and realize that all that "stuff" really is not important at all.