For most people, Christmas is a hectic time filled with pressure and whirlwind activity. One of my friends confided that although they had all their Christmas presents on hand, they had not wrapped a single one. This confession occurred early Christmas Eve. He cringed at the long day ahead.

I tried to sympathize, but I think my smugness got the better of me. For Sandra and me, the rush of “Christmas” occurred prior to our “Thanksmas” celebration on Thanksgiving Day. On that day, my side of the family gathers to fellowship, eat, and exchange presents.

Frankly, I was never caught in the trap of the commercial side of Christmas. I was never a Grinch, but for a time I was a Puritan. When my daughters were young, we did not celebrate “Christmas” in any secular sense. I made their birthdays the major “holidays” of our year but we did not do Christmas gift-giving for years. No Christmas tree, sparse decorations, no Christmas lights. I often spouted about the pagan roots of what we call Christmas, contending December was nowhere near the right time of year for the birth of Christ.

Then I heard a Bible teacher I respected say if the angels of God rejoiced at the birth of Jesus, we can certainly use this time of year to rejoice in the Father’s gift of His Son to the world. I ceased being a Puritan, but I did not embrace the worship of the Baal of commercialism.

From Mom and Pop operations to big box stores, retailers capitalize on the part of the year that stretches from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas. Incidentally, “Black Friday” earned its name supposedly because retailers operated “in the red” – that is, at a loss – until Black Friday introduced the season of buying and selling that brought them profitability.

Any business losing money until the day after Thanksgiving needs to revise its operations and business plan. Of course, the notion that “Black Friday” was the beginning of business profitability is just one more urban legend. (By the way, I don’t do “Black Friday.” Too many people seem to lose their minds on that day, so I stay away from the fray.)

Now the rush of “Christmas” is over, I hope you can take some time to relax and to rest. We can easily lose ourselves in the activity of the season. Ironically, a time of year supposedly focused on family becomes a time when true family ties are often neglected.

We need quiet. We need inactivity. We need each other’s company. We need a time when we are not pressured to do … do … do and to go … go … go. Break out the Uno cards or a board game. Here’s an idea: how about just telling stories from your family’s history. Make the people who have gone before you live in the hearts and minds of your children.

I once explained to some of my grandchildren how many people were needed to get them to this earth. Two parents … four grandparents … eight great-grandparents … 16 great-great-grandparents. For every generation we go back, we double the number of ancestors.

And lest you think talking to your kids about ancestors is ancient history, just remember – your grandparents are your children’s great-grandparents and your grandchildren’s great-great-grandparents.

However, this type of storytelling needs a quiet, unrushed setting. Still, this type of storytelling helps children understand they are part of a much larger whole expressed in the word “family.”

May the coming New Year offer you many opportunities for tranquility and family time. Begin today.

Mike Parker is a columnist for Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.