MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
NOW...
In the words of a couple great old guys
I am kinda fond of...
Bing and Danny...
"SNOW, SNOW, SNOW, SNOW, SNOW"
Wow did we ever get dumped on yesterday...white Christmas for us...about 30cm along with rain so was it heavy...but it is Great for an awesome SNOWMAN. It took forever for VoR to get it shoveled in the morning before work...then the snow plows cleared the street and the end of the driveway looked like the top of the Rockies...so the poor guy had to do it all over again!! Now add a 4hr power outage and it was a great day. I turned my chair to face the burning log in the fireplace and just relaxed and enjoyed the peacefulness...okay I may have slept a smidge too.
As I sat here for the past few weeks (being on VoR-enforced house arrest...for my own protection) with out any of the trappings and hoopla of the Christmas Season (6wks of madness) taking over my mind and wallet successfully turning me into one of those "Crazy"/"Stressed out and grumpy" women (trust me I worked retail for a few decades and saw some doozies). I have had a good chance to REALLY think about what it all means...is it CHRISTmas, christMAS or Xmas?
Vor and I have been having some debates on this subject for a while and with agreeing on the REAL reason for the season...we agree. What gets a little hazy is our different views on exactly what the "commercial trappings" are. As I have sat on the sidelines this year (not baking, shopping or decorating) it is easy to see just how bad it really has gotten and how it has been turned from the birth of Christ to a 6wk marathon of doing/buying everything in sight to see just how burned out we can get ourselves. (Is my tree perfect? How many am I guilting myself into buying a gift for...those people I barely know outside of work or class? Is my house the best lit on the street? How many pounds of treats do I have to make to have on hand...just in case cause we all know we can only bake "special" stuff for these 6 weeks? Is my house clean enough? How many parties do I get pressured to attend or host? Is my new dress gonna fit and be nice enough? etc, etc, etc!) Now don't get me wrong....I have jumped head first onto this crazy train too.
My first pet peeve - is all the BIG Media FLASH and "you are awesome" Ceremony companies and groups do to try and out do each other to prove who is the most generous, charitable and consumed by the "Spirit of Christmas"....I mean seriously people.
Second Pet Peeve - Why do we only open our minds, hearts and wallets becoming Christlike for these 6 weeks? We all feel those warm fuzzies. Why do those quiet acts of love, service and kindness abandon us (or we push them away) for the other 46 weeks of the year? The fact that we lose our minds trying to be kind, generous and charitable for only these few weeks and dismiss each other is so screwed up...not to mention that we give all the credit and responsibility of the success of our Christmas day to that tubby little man in the red suit.
Christ's Birth changed the world and us forever...He is the Greatest Gift we have ever received. The miracle of His birth ISN'T just a 6wk deal but a 365/24-7 example for us to live our lives by....to show the best of ourselves. Why do we insist on short changing ourselves and those we could be serving. Yes...we get stressed but if we take a second to stop and re-focus our compass then we are able to open our eyes and hearts to the suffering of others...we will find the best in us...like Ebenezer, George Bailey and the Grinch... to just name a few.
Are we blind part-time in keepers of Bethlehem or the meek shepherds that watched patiently for the birth of our Savior rejoicing because they understood that this small baby was the greatest gift and blessing from a loving Heavenly Father. That He would change mankind forever...not just 6 weeks in December.