This post is a few weeks late.
Candy season ended two weeks ago.
What is "Candy Season" you ask?
Candy season ususally starts in September, if not late August, when all the stores set aside a few aisles for Halloween Candy. The day after Halloween, if not sooner, Christmas candy starts to infiltrate the candy section. By early November Christmas candy dominates the aisle. While shoppers are gobbling up after Christmas Sale items on December 26th, stockers are filling the candy shelves with all things, red, pink purple and sweet. High calorie confections are bestowed on the ones we love on February 14th. On February 15, amongst the 75% off candy conversation hearts, the chocolate bunnies arrive. What better way to celebrate the coming of Spring and the resurrection of Christ than with a Reeses peanut butter egg?
Easter candy left early with an early Easter this year. For the next five months, flip flops, bug spray, floaties and sunscreen will dominate most of the Candy season aisles and candy will again be confined to it's regular aisle and the check out stands. Candy season is over. I always feel a bit of relief this time of year.
As the title of this blog suggest, I find myself wondering about a lot these days. I wonder why in a country where 4 out of 10 children age 12-14 are obese, we have 7 month candy seasons? I wonder how much it cost to make M&Ms and Sweettarts take on new seasonal colors and shapes? They would not bother if we didn't buy it. Seems like a lot of money, time and resources spent on fluff. And hey, I am all for fluff from time to time...But 7 months out of the year? I wonder if we are dedicating more of our time and creativity to fluff, while issues of real substance are left far behind. Have we become a Candy Culture?
But what I really wonder about is me. Have I bought the lie that the Candy Culture sells? Do I spend more time, energy, and money on fluffy irrelevant things, ignoring the very things that meet my basic needs for substance? Am I a Candy Christian? Do I stock the shelves of my soul with fluffy sweet pleasures more times than I feed on the basics necessary for a healthy, active, growing faith? Where do I spend my time, my energy, my emotion? Is there too much "candy" in my life? Is life made sweet by the fluff or by the fruits of labor, dicipline, devotion and unselfish love?
Much to ponder as I bid Candy Season a fond farewell.
four things | seven
12 hours ago
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4 comments:
I hear ya sister!!! My kids each have a bucket filled with candy from ALL of those holidays! BNut you forgot that candy season gives way to popscicle/ice cream season - at least in THIS house!!! I agree that we have GOT to break free! I am going to the dentist tomorrow to have a crown put on my root canal - I know that candy is VERY costly! Thanks for bringing this to my mind - I know my kids have too much candy, but it helps to be reminded again & again! I'm off to the store soon & I'll be sure to linger in the fruit aisle this time!
OUCH!!! You hit me right where I needed to be hit the most. LOL--maybe God had you post this (and gave me a little time to read it) BEFORE I head to the grocery store today . . .something to ponder.
I love your question.. Am I a candy Christian. Great analogy and truly something we all (read ME) need to examine.
We are glad to see it go. We have candy addicts in our family and I am convinced that candy is poison--at least sometimes. When the girls "discover" some hidden candy and eat it and then won't eat a meal they turn into complete monsters. Candy Season, don't let the door hit ya on the way out!
Now--ice cream season--that's a completely different story! :)
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