So, I'm driving my son and his buddies to a movie when a Christmas classic comes over the radio.

"I hate Christmas when they play all the same old commercials and TV shows," says one of the lads.

And I'm like, "Uh, dude, that's the point."

That's why "White Christmas" and "Jingle Bell Rock" rule and any holiday music written after 1971 (Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas") stinks. Much of the comfort and joy of Christmas comes from its familiarity and timelessness.

You'd think kids would know this, since it wasn't too long ago they were begging you to read "When You Give a Mouse a Cookie" for the 759th night in a row.

I love the Norelco Santa and those Coked-up polar bears. I'll rearrange my schedule to catch any adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" on the tube, although my faves are the Alastair Sim and Mr. Magoo versions. That stuff never gets old.

It's been harder to get the kids to play along with my slavish devotion to holiday traditions. We quit going to "The Nutcracker," and I watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas" alone this year.

When I announced to the brood that we were starting a new Christmas tradition by curling up together on the couch with mugs of hot chocolate to watch "The Polar Express" on DVD, all I got was the sound of crickets.

This year, we're pretty much throwing it all out like an expired carton of egg nog. My husband is taking the children to see his family on Guam. The upset in our Christmas routine has gifted us with a chance to break out of the bad holiday habit of unchecked overspending that left us with evergreen credit card debt and empty hearts.

No presents under the tree — and no tree. What do you think of the old traditions now, kids?

We're still doing some festive decorating around the house, and it's not like they won't be showered with gifts by their relatives. Santa will still fill their stockings and I'll be preparing our usual prime rib Christmas dinner before they leave.

In the meantime, it's been a real re-education. When my eyes widen at all the tantalizing Christmas ads in the newspaper, I have to remind myself that we're not doing that this year. But the mall withdrawal hasn't been as bad as I expected.

We've been working our way there on our own, as the children have grown.

Our daughter, who attends college on the Mainland, already is beginning to realize that all she wants for Christmas is a plate lunch and a tan. The middle-schooler has a few years to go before the holiday light bulb goes on, but he'll get there.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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