Christmas has once again passed with little fanfare - I suppose this is a good thing. On the eve of, Tim's family came over to exchange gifts and eat. Not too exciting. The kids (ages 6 and 2) were very enthusiastic about present opening time. They have so much already though, it's not very heartwarming seeing them open yet another plastic pony play set and tube of little animals. Polly Pocket has been upgraded to look more like a preteen - three inches tall, curvy, complete with sparkling accessories and shoes - definitely not the half inch tall doll-like figure I remember that came in a little oyster-like environ. 15 years ago, I was the same way about Christmas, and I'd like to think I turned out all right, but is this what we really want to be conditioning our kids to associate with Christmas? Clearly the emphasis is on receiving and buying rather than spending time with family and friends. We're commodifying people. The thing is, this rant seems trivial and idealistic but consumerism really is a primary cause of the world's problems. It's not the fact that we have over six billion people on earth, it's the fact that most all of us consume more than we need and do it in unsustainable ways. It is our patterns of consumption and the environmental bads that come with producing these goods and services that are taking a toll on the environment. And people don't even think about this stuff. We're so separated from the environment and some of us can afford to stave off the impacts that would directly affect us and that do affect the poor, the ecosystem, and the other living creatures that share the earth. How hard would we have to work to change the system? If only we could realized that so much is unnecessary...that consumerism is not the key to happiness...that we as individuals can effect change that alters production. If only, right? I'm a hypocrite too. I want things that I don't really need. Sometimes I tell myself, "well, someone else will just buy it if I don't, so I might as well."

Last night Becky, Andrew, mum, and I walked down to the end of our street in the snow. We had several inches and it kept coming down around us. The night sky with its swirling snowflakes was quite beautiful. Our neighbors were sledding down the road on a sled with runners, and we had to try it out with our own. There's this one steep section of the road that was really fun to coast down. SWe also had a slightly warped plastic tobaggan which didn't quite work, but Becky and Andrew still used it. Seriously haven't been sledding in at least five years - soo fun. I want to go up towards the mountain and do some serious sleddin' now.