“Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.” – Ruth Ann Schabacker.
December is here. That means Christmas is right around the corner with all the traditional activities. There’s the reason for the season – the birth of the Savior. Shepherds in the field watching their flocks. Angels singing on a starry night. A baby born in a stable and laid in a manger. Wise men bringing gifts. Beautiful images of the greatest gift. Christmas carols and songs that make those holy goosebumps crawl up your back. Kids in bathrobes being shepherds and wise men. Sparkling lights and decorated houses.
I love Christmas. Really I do. It’s just that it has gotten so it comes around so much faster than it used to. Every two of three months or so it seems. And it’s like having a bunch of new deadlines. As a writer I know about deadlines and how the days can fly by when a deadline approaches. Getting ready for Christmas can have its own deadlines. The getting the cards in the mail deadline. Shopping for gifts deadline. Decorating the tree deadline. Baking cookies deadline. Wrapping those gifts deadline. We want to meet those deadlines and keep all the Christmas traditions going. We want to get the gifts that bring smiles. We want to cook all the favorite foods. We want to make the day perfect for everybody.
It’s that making things perfect deadline that is so hard to meet. As much as we want to make things perfect, that rarely happens. The tree is a bit crooked on its stand. The rolls are a little overdone. The cake cracks in the middle. The sweater doesn’t fit. The toy doesn’t entertain. Santa forgets the batteries. Somebody comes down with a virus and spends Christmas sneezing and coughing. You get the idea. All those things have happened to us at some Christmas in the past. But this Christmas you still want things to be perfect. You want Aunt Suzy and Uncle Bill not to argue about politics. You want the kids to be sweet and generous, not overtired and cranky. You want to eat that piece of jam cake with the caramel frosting and not think about the extra five pounds you’ll need to lose next week. You want to say, “Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus.” And so each December you wipe away the less than perfect memories and remember all the wonderful times. You might not remember your favorite gift, but you remember how you felt because you were loved. That’s the tradition we’re all trying to hang on to. The tradition of love.
Hope you’ll meet all your deadlines and find those perfect gifts and most of all that the warm feeling of love will wrap around your family and then it won’t matter so much if Aunt Suzy and Uncle Bill don’t think alike on politics. They’re family and they’re loved. Enjoy the gift of each and every day.
This is a slightly revised repeat of a post from 2008. And I still haven’t achieved that perfection deadline. But I have enjoyed ten more Christmas seasons. Written around a dozen more books. Bought and wrapped many more Christmas presents. Hung Christmas decorations. Baked hundreds of cookies. Enjoyed plenty of grandkid hugs. And had fun getting to know those of you who join the conversation here.
I appreciate you all. So I’m doing a giveaway for you. My newsletter giveaway is still going on, but you deserve an extra Christmas giveaway here for reading my this and that posts. So, I’ll pick a couple of winners on December 16, 2018. Your deadline (there are deadlines for everything) to enter is midnight EST December 15, 2018. To enter, you have to be at least 18 years old and all you have to do to get you name in my drawing hat is leave a comment on my posts between now and the 15th. Each time you comment on a new post before then, you get an entry. The prizes? That has to be books plus. First place winner gets the lighted nativity scene in the picture and his or her choice of one of my books. Second place winner gets his or her choice of one of my books. I’ll try to get them sent out before Christmas so if you win, you can either have them as a gift for yourself or a gift for someone else.
What Christmas tradition do you love the most?
As always thanks for reading.
Comments 45
You’re right. It’s about love.
Hot cocoa and Christmas movies with my kiddos is my current favorite tradition. And taking them to see Christmas lights.
It doesn’t get sweeter for me than that.
Thank you for the contest!
P.S. I’m the gal who told you, I love following you on Twitter 😉
Author
Well, I’m glad you told me that, because I sometimes neglect Twitter and think more about my Facebook page, Judy. But a good tweet now and again works too. Glad you popped over her to join in the giveaway fun.
Love those traditions with your kids. Hot chocolate is good with anything but especially good with a sweet Christmas movie.
So many traditions have changed over the years. Death and arguments have shrunk the family. New people added through births and marriages. Age and illness means younger generation does the hard stuff. Through it all, Love and Faith are the constants. Dinner for those who want to come. Invite a lonely neighbor to attend. Dirty Santa for those who want to play. Not the same anymore. But, the new is something to look forward to each new Christmas.
My most favorite Christmas tradition is preparing and eating our Christmas meal. As many of us as possible get together on one or more occasions to get everything ready. On Christmas day…everyone who is able to, comes to our home. This year is extra special because my son just bought a house…and we are hosting the dinner here! Having family and friends sitting around and catching up on our lives is the most wonderful feeling. Eating all the great food is just an added benefit. I love this time of year!