MORE, GREATER, BIGGER.....

Somehow, these words became synonymous with Christmas--more presents, greater gifts, more shopping, higher credit card bills, a bigger stack of catalogs in the mail. It's kind of overwhelming.

So let me share with you my latest "indulgence." Canceling catalogs.

It is SUCH a beautiful thing! Each day, I was recycling several of them. Now I let them stack up on the kitchen table--Signals, Eddie Bauer, Plow and Hearth, Whatever Works, Harry and David..... Don't get me wrong, I LOVE looking through catalogs--turning down the corner of a few pages and sticking them in a pile, or worse yet (I am from the US, after all), picking up the phone and ordering the must-have-thingamajig. But now I let them stack up until I have the time, usually Saturday morning, and call all those 1-800 numbers. And as sweetly and politely as I can, "Please remove me from your mailing list." The reaction is instantaneous--absolutely, not problem, we can do that right away (they legally must respond like this, so I've heard). The most hassle I get from this simple phrase is, "May we ask why?" Well, who can resist an environmentalist who says their website is so easy to use? "I understand, ma'am."

And that's it, I'm free! Twenty phone calls later, I'm looking forward to a catalog free January. Whee! It's such a rush. I feel like a Macy's balloon after being snipped free of all the ropes. I love it!

It's hardly contemplative. Only loosely theological. But I thought I'd pass around my latest Christmas joy!