Merry Christmas! What a fun, crazy, fantastic whirlwind of a few weeks we have had! I have been trying to send my greetings to you for over a week but I’ve been dealing with some technical difficulties… Well lets just say that the computer may have won then, but I’m winning today!
So yes… Merry Christmas! Doesn’t it always seem to sneak up on us and then all the sudden it is gone again? Every year I am determined to get going on it sooner or to be more organized to hopefully make the season seem easier. I think in order for that wish to come true, I’m gonna have to hope for next year! A small piece of advice- don’t wait to go shopping until 10 days before Christmas… Its not that we procrastinated our Christmas to do list, but it just seemed that the Universe was against us.
My bad luck started early, like December 1, when we went to get a Christmas tree… I had a massive cold that wasn’t backing down. Now, we could have gone for a tree another night, except there really was no other night to do it. I guess I did have a teensy bit of luck on my side because I don’t think the tree hunting has ever been so easy. We spotted the tree from the road, hiked up a bit, chopped it down and we were done (well, we had to get a few little trees along the way, but they didn’t take any extra time…). Once we got the tree in the house it was all I could do to get the lights on the thing… There may still be a lot of ornaments and fluff still in the boxes because spending any more of my non-existant energy just wasn’t happening.
We have been terribly blessed with several snow storms coming through the valley the last few weeks that added to the craziness. I say blessed because we are always thankful for moisture, but it was always terrible timing. Like the first day we tried doing some shopping… I had a babysitter and everything lined out so it was bound to be a great night. Or not! It was wet and slushy and we couldn’t see to drive. I just wanted to cry… And then there was that one other time we had lots of snow that made us SUPER late for the school Christmas program starring The Rancher’s Sidekick (when there is only 8 kids in the school, every was is a start!). Thankfully everyone else had the same terrible roads so we weren’t the last ones to arrive.
I had hoped that even if I wasn’t going to be terribly organized this year, at least I could totally immerse myself with all of the fluff and fancies of Christmas to make it feel super cheery. But I felt thwarted at every turn. We did get our tree up and decorations, but I didn’t get to watch all the classic Christmas movies or spend my nights wrapping fancy gifts. I didn’t even manage to make any Christmas cookies or candies! Gah! What is Christmas without Christmas cookies?!
Does it sound like I’m complaining? I promise I’m not… just musing. And this sort of musing and pondering brought to me some great insight.
Even though I wasn’t able totally immerse myself with Christmas fluff, I immersed myself in my family. I spent time reading and doing homework, snuggling sick babies and rescuing my stranded husband. And enjoying (or enduring…) them was immersing myself in the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given. Yes they are crazy, demanding, frustrating and some days I might refer to all of them as the most terrifying terrorists, but they are mine. All mine to hug and love and squish and squeeze and occasionally spank.
So when I thought my Christmas wasn’t very Christmasy I was wrong. Because what is more Christmasy than being with and serving the people you love most? That’s what the first Christmas was all about- family, love and service. And so my friends, I’ve learned a valuable Christmas lesson, maybe somewhat like the Grinch (don’t worry I love Christmas, I was just slightly off target)… Christmas isn’t about the fluff and fancies. You may try so hard to make Christmas, Christmasy that you get frustrated with the people and things that seem to get your way. But if you focus on those things and people, Christmas will find its way to you.
Merry Christmas!
