If my mother saw the title of this post she would be upset. She doesn't like "Happy Holidays". But, this post isn't just about Christmas. This post is about the holidays.
This has been one of the weirdest holiday seasons that I have experienced in a while, yet it has been one of the best holiday seasons. Right before Thanksgiving my dad lost his job. My dad is one of the hardest working men I know. It's been hard for me to see him out of work. It's been hard to see him not find a job after a month. It's hard to see my parents struggle. Due to this struggle I had a talk with mom about Christmas. She tends to go over the top in the gift department. I mean, way over the top. It's silly really. But, she does it every year. I had to have the "It isn't about gifts" talk with my mom. Because it isn't.
I've thought about that so much this year. Especially when I know that so many around me don't have gifts. Like kids at my school. It's just been on my mind a lot. I had a hard time making a list. I put door mats on my list. Yep, door mats. Maybe it's a sign of being old. Maybe it's a sign of home ownership. Maybe it's a sign of me realizing that Christmas is about so much more than gifts.
I hope it's the last!
I've never been one to focus on gifts. Sure, I love them. Honestly, I enjoy giving them more. This year was just different. I thought so much more about what the holiday season is all about. The obvious answer is Jesus. But, it's honestly about more than just Him.
It's about stopping. Resting. Reflecting. It's about family. It's about new nieces and nephews. It's about friends. It's about putting all idevices away. It's about helping your dad with his resume. It's about your mom making your recipe for cheese ball and asking you if she did it right. It's about making your Nana's cookies and holding your breath while she gives her approval. It's about watching your brother live his dream on stage. It's about gathering around your Nana's nursing home bed and laughing until you cry as she tells you how she hid a nurse in her closet in order to scare a new nurse on his first day. It's about best friends telling you they are expecting. It's about kittens almost knocking down your tree for the ten millionth time. It's about your mother and father in law becoming grandparents and watching them glow. It's about standing in your living room looking at your blessings. It's about your hubs taking care of you after he shared his germs with you. It's about standing in front of a window and watching it snow. It's about so much more than gifts and bows.
I think Jesus wants us to remember Him at Christmas, but I have been feeling him tell me time and time again to just take it all in. To stop. To rest. To reflect. To just take life in one day at time.
This holiday season has been one of the best in a while because I've tried to do just that. Although life is hard, although it doesn't seem fair, although I don't have answers, I've never felt closer to my family and friends and I love that feeling!
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