Searching for the Virtual Meaning of Christmas

It seems to pass us by each year in the rush of crowded malls and shopping centers, and I have to admit I do most of my shopping online now to avoid a bit of that. But while the season seems to start earlier and earlier each year, some decorations going up right after Halloween (and many catalog and online items being advertised in late summer), Christmas always ends up speeding by in a blur of torn wrapping paper and blinking holiday lights. Not much peace, not much joy, too much hectic, too much stress.

So I take a break and look at what the virtual world of Second Life offers, some beautifully decorated winter sims decked out with Christmas trees and ice rinks, falling snow and lovely ice sculptures. But yet again not too much in the way of the blessed. A few churches but not many nativities or mangers except those you can buy on Xstreet. I guess Virtual residents are more interested in ice skating or having virtual snowball fights than reflecting on the season, but that's okay. The magic is still there behind the pixels if you believe. And even if you don't, there are still some pretty sights.

What's most fun of all is if you own a home and can decorate it. Just watch the prims, and you're okay. It's also usually a lot easier decorating your virtual tree or hanging your virtual stockings from your virtual fireplace than doing it in your real home, and Santa would be proud to come down most virtual fireplaces. In fact, there are quite a few nice plates of cookies and hot chocolate that most virtual bakers sell that can be left out for him.

What about Christmas cards? Well, in real life, sending cards is often a chore and postage increases each year. But in the virtual world, sending a card is only a click away. Just drop them on your friends and spread the cheer.

So whether you celebrate in real life, Second Life or both, the main thing is to enjoy the season among family and friends and to remember the true meaning. It doesn't have to cost a lot to show you care. And in giving of yourself, you always receive much more back.

Reality Can be the Perfect Fantasy

My daughter just celebrated her fifth birthday at the end of October. Her party was at a farm because she loves horses. It wasn't the best day weather-wise, but she and her little friends all got to take pony rides, feed baby animals, and listen to animated chickens sing the birthday song (she even got up and did a chicken dance). Just a week earlier, she had been thrilled to lose her first baby tooth and receive a dollar bill from the tooth fairy (inflation has caused the TF to increase her allowances). She was also busy this week with a Halloween party in her Kindergarten class where she dressed up as, what else, a horse. She also went back one day to her pre-school for a Halloween parade and then ended the week with trick-or-treating in the horse costume for yet another time. It was fun seeing her get all excited, although I do have to admit it was a bit exhausting for me.

Besides her birthday party at the farm, my daughter also went on a field trip with her school the day before to another farm where she said the kids got to pick pumpkins and even milk cows. She told me her cow didn't give her any milk, but she still enjoyed trying to get some. My daughter has a way with words already, but I guess it's in the genes. I showed her my farm in Farmville on Facebook, and she was so excited when one of my friends gave us a horse. But then she wanted to ride it, and I had to explain that, while you could do that in Second Life and some other games you can't do that in all games.

Next year, my daughter informed me, after she'd asked if there were anymore new gifts that I hadn't shown her, that she wants her sixth birthday party in Disney World. Will it cost too much, she wants to know, to fly her whole class there? And can we just please look at their party room?

Well, I have to say, I am tempted by the idea. I've taken out some books from the library and even showed Holly around a replica of Disney World in Second Life. She wanted to go in Cinderella's castle but was disappointed when all that she saw there were shops. She got bored, so I told her to wait for the real thing. Sometimes reality is more interesting than fantasy, but often a mixture of both can be the best combination. I can't wait until next year.