This morning I asked my husband to cheerfully help me decorate for Christmas. Last year my daughter & her husband did it for me. I was too weak from chemo & couldn't imagine how I would ever be ready for Christmas. This year, I feel so much better, but due to my recent surgery, I'm limited. As always, I am so excited about Christmas. I feel like a child, & I don't know exactly what it is about Christmas that makes me so giddy.
I love Christmas music. Caroling is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. Hearing the songs play throughout the stores & on the radio brightens my spirits too. Buying gifts is fun to a point but wrapping them is not my thing. Baking Christmas cookies is so much work, but definitely something I love to do. Saying Merry Christmas is special too because it helps one remember why we celebrate this beautiful time of year.
A famous Christmas carol refers to Christmas as the most wonderful time of year. Sadly, Christmas is a painful time of year for so many. Sometimes it's associated with a loss or a sad memory. There are those who can't afford to buy gifts or fix a holiday meal. Some people are lonely, & others are suffering a hardship of some kind. Christmas causes depression for some & the stress of all of the above mentioned traditions can be too much. It's truly one of the busiest times of year.
I'd like to offer a way out from the hustle & bustle of Christmas, a way to simplify & truly enjoy this meaningful season as it's meant to be. Less is more. Buy less, wrap less. Bake less, eat fewer calories (less depression after Christmas). Focus on the needy & not yourself. Ask what you can do to brighten somebody else's Christmas. Commit to fewer Christmas activities so you can actually enjoy the ones you choose to attend. Think about what's important to your family, & prioritize. Don't be afraid to let things go.
Lastly, remember the reason for this beautiful many faceted celebration. If what you do, helps you enjoy the birth of Christ, than enjoy. If it causes stress & detracts from having a peaceful Christmas, let it go. Know that if you don't bake one batch of cookies, it's okay. If you don't send one card, it's fine. If you only put up a few decorations, you'll actually enjoy them more. It's the meaning of your gifts, not the cost. Strive to enjoy what you do & not overdo. For me, there's a few necessities. The rest is optional...
Watching It's a Wonderful Life is essential. Enjoying the lights on my Christmas tree is my nightly ritual. Attending our Christmas Eve service is special. The music of the season makes it for me. Spending time with my family is the best. Taking time to think about my Jesus, the greatest gift of all, is one of my past times. I picture Mary & Joseph traveling (so young & so alone). I see the wise men following the star in the East. I hear the baby's cry on that first Christmas night in a manger. Shepherds & animals gather around the babe. He is wrapped in swaddling clothes. His parents don't really understand, but they trust.
Jesus did not look like the king that people expected. If they knew the prophesies, then they knew Jesus fulfilled them word for word. God has a pattern of using the simplest of all (a tiny baby) to accomplish His purpose. On that first Christmas night, our Savior was born into a poor family. His parents were young, probably scared too. There wasn't even a safe, warm place for Him to lie His little head. Yet there was excitement in the air for those who knew... The star shown brightly, the Angel appeared, the baby was born, & our lives were forever changed.
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