Reconciling Christmas exorbitance when my head and my heart are in Africa

Maybe it's because Zambia is still fresh in my head and my heart, having only come back a few short months ago. Maybe it's because every year I step back from Christmas excess a little more, while watching society around me continue to gorge on Christmas consumption. But I'm wondering how many others out there are feeling conflicted about our holiday season?

Every year I have more issues with Christmas. Every year Christmas in our society seems to be more characterized by gluttony, and I'm not just referring to the presents. There's something about thinking about a houseful of food - literally, since all of my Christmases have consisted of having every counter- and table-space in the house covered with food: cookies and dainties, boxes of chocolate and mandarin oranges, roasting pans of cabbage rolls, leftover turkey for turkey buns, meat pies warming in the oven, you know the drill - and yet there are people that I know (not just that I know there are people , these are people who I met, talked and visited with, likely even gave me a gift of groundnuts or cassava ) who are starting to run out of food right now, as the rainy season in Zambia progresses.

When I put my headspace back there in the village right now, and I imagine the spartan surroundings, little or no furniture to speak of, few possessions, and the dwindling food supplies in the granaries, and then compare that image to one that most of us are surrounded with here in the next few weeks - overabundance of food and overwhelmed with stuff, stuff, stuff that we really don't need - I can't help but have increased reservations about how I want to celebrate this holiday season.

Geez - I didn't mean to crap all over everyone's Christmas! And I know that for many of us, Christmas is about much more than feasting and "stuff" - but it is still a big part of it. This year, Kent and I decided to have a non-xmas, to take a break and appreciate what we currently have.

How are you reconciling Christmas exorbitance this year??