Celebrating in Non Traditional Ways

Aleathia says:

This year, as a family, we decided to not celebrate the over-commercialized holiday of Christmas. I have been a Buddhist since 1997 and technically it isn't a holiday I need to observe but I have for the last 14 years with my daughter because that was the normal thing to do. She stopped believing in Santa a few years ago and the magic was gone for me. There was no surprise on Christmas morning, no sparkle of elation and wonder. It was just a lot of money wrapped in pretty paper. Chloe doesn't go to church, Michael doesn't go to church. Everyone in our house is free to choose what and who they want to believe in and if no one believes in Santa, then we are celebrating a religious holiday that none of us are party to. Religion was not the driving force behind our lack of celebrating Christmas this year, it was charity.

We have come to a place in our lives where we are comfortable. We have all the things that we want...more than we need. If we need something, we buy it through the year. In our house we use dinner time as a place to have in depth conversations about the world, where we see ourselves in it, where we want to be, our hopes and fears and dreams, and the kind of people we aspire to be. Michael and I both grew up poor. We hardly ever had new things and if we did they were cherished. Chloe has never been poor, but she is the most thoughtful and frugal teenager I have ever met. She worries about the burden of cost of things bought for her and is over-appreciative when something nice is done for her. This is they kind of child I have raised. I feel like I have done a good job.

Around Thanksgiving we decided this year we would buy a family gift for us to share. We got a second Xbox so we could play games together since that is the way games are designed today. We got another headset so we could talk and a few games. It was a several thousand dollar reduction from the year before. Michael and I got newer cars...reliable transportation. Chloe is going to Hawaii with school in the spring. We decided that this was Christmas enough for all of us. But we also decided that we needed to start thinking about how we could give back to the community and the world.

Chloe and I walked the Selfless Elf this year together. Our registration fees together went towards feeding 180 people in our community. Think about that. We walked 3 miles and fed nearly 200 people. That was a really nice feeling when we crossed the finish line together. We are going to walk this race every year together when we can.

The other charitable venture we are on is using all the crafts I make to sell for donations to the charities we have chosen this year. We are calling the venture Nothing Wasted and you can visit this page often to find out all the goodies I am making. So far this year we have raised $140 from the sales. We are also using all the money from our bottle returns at home and work to add to this fund and we have raised over $25 so far. All of this in one month.

I will say this Christmas season weighed heavy on me as I looked at all the beautiful photos of Christmas trees and family gatherings. I felt a bit of sadness and jealousy, but I didn't let it consume me.  My life has been non-traditional since I left home so many years ago. We build a new life everyday and though others have thought our new holiday tradition is strange, it feels good to all of us to know we are making a difference and opening our hearts.

Visit our charity page if you like. I hope to have some new items up in January. I sold the December items as fast as I made them so I didn't post anything. Thank you for reading and we hope your holidays have been filled with love and family.

Aleathia

Let's Go Somewhere-6/3/2014

Aleathia says:

It is summer time folks and I can tell that by the sweat running down my back without moving a muscle.  It is what we begged for all winter long when we were shivering in the -20 winds.  This time of year our sleepy valley really comes alive and there are so many things to do that you don't have enough time to fit them all in.

Ithaca, NY is constantly voted one of the best small towns to live in for its great arts and music community. It is like a big old hippie commune with some college students thrown in for fun.  It is where the activist go to settle down and the naturalist go to take in the beauty of mother nature.

Just a short ways from Ithaca in Trumansburg there is a festival held every year called Grassroots.  It is a three or so day festival filled with world music, hip hop, country, local bands, bluegrass, and zydeco.  There are tons of stages, great food, and fun activities for the kids.

Before the inauguration of Grassroots, there was a benefit held at The State Theatre in Ithaca to help raise funds for a local AIDS charity called AIDSwork.  One of the participants was a band called Donna the Buffalo. After this charity event, the band decided it would be great to start a 4 day festival filled with local bands and artists as well as international favorites to raise money for local charities.

The first year I went, I took my daughter.

Listening to a band called New Neighbors

Many people from my work go to this festival every year...especially the ER doctors who had been like family.  Each year they have a prime spot for camping on the infield stage.  They invited us to set up our tent near theirs to help keep people from tromping through the site all day.  It was close to everything which I thought was great.  It was, however, an utter nightmare outside of theory when you have an 8 year old with you.  It was noisy and all the drunk people spent most of the night falling on our tent or stepping on our heads.  During the day it was great.  If you are going to camp, camp the edges where you'll get some sleep.

Infield camping at its finest

My first year there I went because I was going to get to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and Toots and the Maytals.  They were both great shows!  My daughter had fun during the day at the Bubble Man's station and enjoying the food.

The Bubble Man aka Dr. Mark

After the rough camping incident, I had a hard time convincing my daughter to go back to the festival.  It took several years to remove the bad taste in her mouth and the only way I could get her to go with me is if we didn't camp.  It worked out for the best.  We went in 2011....the hottest summer on record in our area in a long time.  It was brutal, but the music was great and we danced and ate and laughed.

         

                                                                

                                                                                                        The Folkadelics

Dancing to The Gunpoets

Despite the heat, the crowds, and the long hours spent in a festival setting, it was worth it every time.  The festival supports their community, artists get to display their wares, local bands get a leg up, and the community has a chance to come together every year.  Friends meet up and enjoy the opportunity to let the rest of the world go.

This festival is always held the second weekend of July so you still have time to enjoy the madness.  This years headliner is Dickey Betts.  Have a great time!