Christmas… Truly the Busiest Time of the Year

Christmas… Truly the Busiest Time of the Year

Kim @ Kids Matter

Christmas is such a busy time, especially when you work full time.  Most moms have to cook dinner and attend to the daily routine. There is never enough time to shop, have pictures made, send Christmas cards, bake, decorate, yada yada yada. The list is long. 

When I was younger, I actually dreaded Christmas. It was so much work for one day (December 25^th).  Now I reflect back and wish I knew then what I understand now.  Remember that old saying, “too old too soon, too smart too late”?   Yes, it is so worth it to run crazy for a month or more to prepare for that one day.   It isn’t until years later that the impact is understood through the memories of our children and what they have to tell us about yesteryear. 

My daughter made the statement; while she was dating her now husband that, “Mom transforms the house into a Christmas wonderland. It is so great. I love Christmas!”   My children appreciate the old Santa pictures and also tell stories remembering those special presents.  For me, over the past decade, I have grown to appreciate the family gatherings while watching the children grow. This year my daughter is the mother of a one year old.  She is experiencing the stress of all the Christmas chores, but she does it, as we all did, for the child(ren).   I do think she “gets it” even if she might complain a little. I have only heard her complain about the expense of it. She is beginning to think about maybe a scarf and gloves or a candle.  We found inexpensive toys for children at Walgreens too.  After all, it really is the thought that counts.

We have begun to draw names for children in the extended family.  My sister-in-law wished that we didn’t have to do that for our immediate family. She remembers going to Grandma’s for Christmas and having a stack of presents.  She wanted her children to have that same excitement and memories.   Times are not what they once were.  Things are so expensive.  She explained that the stack of presents could be a coloring book and crayons in one, or socks in another. It wasn’t the richness of the gift, but the excitement of receiving a gift.  She is so right.  We forget that children just love to open presents.  Ever watch children at a birthday party? They tear from one present to the next; barely even acknowledging what the present is at that moment.

So, I think we should remember it is all worthwhile, downsize our gifts, and that it’s the excitement of having the gift that is most important to children.   Christmas is all about giving and loving.  The Christmas “chores” we do might just be a gift of love.

Finding Christmas Spirit

Finding Christmas Spirit

Belinda @ Kids Matter

Oh, Christmas spirit… where art thou?? I seek you in the dark, in the light, through the ark, and with all my might. I cannot find you near or far, here or there, or anywhere. I beckon. I summons. I plead on my knees. Oh, the need to feel the reason for the season. How I long for the enthusiasm of thee. Each year races by quicker as age sets in. Frailty overtakes me. January to November passes with the brevity of a summer storm. Year after year, time grows shorter. I reach out, too slow, Christmas cheer sped right by. I lunge forward, too fast, Christmas emotions linger slowly. I stood, not with grace, but lifelessness on my face. Hopelessness doth quickly gait. In the distance… carried on the winds of bliss, drifting note by note into a joyful melody, came the sound of a Christmas bell. The heavenly tune inspired a growing light within. The light originated as an ember and grew hastily into a blazing flame thrusting Christmas cheer throughout mind, body, and soul. Hooray… it’s Christmas!  Laughter erupted from deep within; tears of joy streamed mercilessly over my cheeks. Dancing and singing burst forth with glee. Oh, Christmas spirit, there you are… in joy and in light, for good will and all right. You hug me tenderly and inspire me tremendously. You are ever so gentle, but ever so fierce, as you enter like a lamb, and exit like a lion. You are ever present but often hidden by our own hearts, through the reality of life the other eleven months. We seek you so hard, yet you come in as an ember, a melodious note, a tender hug, the smell of cinnamon, a special ornament, a favorite cartoon, or a handwritten card. We are the seekers but you are the finder. Oh Christmas spirit, Oh… Christmas spirit, what a wonder you are.

Often, we seek so hard for inspiration that it goes unnoticed as it glares us in the face. Our hearts are so blinded by the day to day realities of life that we don’t see those blessings or evidence right in front of us. We must force ourselves to push the pause button. STOP… breathe… listen… look… and smell the sensations around you. It only takes one small ember to build a giant bonfire within your soul. Here are some inspiring quotes to fan the embers of Christmas spirit. Enjoy!

Dale Evans: “Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.”

Alexander Smith: “Christmas is the day that holds all time together.”

Ruth Carter Stapleton: “Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.”

Norman Vincent Peale: "Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold; everything is softer and more beautiful."

Edna Ferber: "Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling."

Dr. Seuss: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?”

Marjorie Holmes: “At Christmas… all roads lead home.”