Thursday Thoughts .... on the magic of Christmas

It's that time of year...Christmas lights, Christmas trees, Christmas baking, Live Nativity scenes, Christmas Carols, Casseroles, Egg Nog, Boiled Custard, Gingerbread houses, garland, ornaments, pictures of screaming kids with Santa, assault and battery charges resulting from a fight over the last Black Friday TV, Jingle bells, sleigh rides, reindeer, fruit cake, gifts, and in the middle of it all...

the Nativity. 

My dad gave me the most amazing Nativity set several years ago. It is is absolutely gorgeous and perfectly "me".

There is something so...magical...about Christmas. Yes, it is a mixture of the lights, food that we only get this time of year, and joy that seems to fall like glittering snowflakes to cover us all in the "Spirit" of Christmas. It's ALL those things and so much more! Christmas makes my eyes sparkle with childlike wonder...and I LOVE it!

A song comes on the radio and brings back memories of my Nan dancing and singing in the kitchen while we made fudge.

Other songs remind me of some of my best highschool memories, singing in malls, nursing homes, schools, etc. all December long. I will NEVER hear the 12 days of Christmas without laughing about Marlon Jett playing the part of 6 geese a laying and splitting his pants (and yes, as his name suggests, he was a huge foot ball player ) or David Howard yelling "Birds!!!! Hey Birds!!!" for 4 calling Birds.

I can't think about gathering at Grandmother Thompson's house without laughing about my brother and I sliding down her stairs on pillows and getting in trouble...EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

Each ornament I unwrap to place on my tree reminds me of people I love, many of whom live far away or are no longer here to celebrate with me. 

I will try to make my Nan's fudge again this year...and maybe it will actually be as smooth and creamy as hers was. (doubtful, but I will try all the same)

One year My Step mom was showing the children this amazing carousel teapot and I, being the intellectually gifted person I am, thought that pulling the plug out of the spout was a good idea. Of course, my brother got it all on video so it will haunt me every Christmas for all of eternity.

This year, my precious mom in law gave me her Christmas dishes, which I will one day pass along to Izzy. What an absolute treasure. 

I remember when I was about 5 or 6... KNOWING Santa wouldn't come until I was asleep...I used scotch tape to tape my eyes shut. (Did I mention that I was a gifted? LOL)

I have new traditions with our kids. One of my faves is eating at Waffle House with friends on Christmas Eve and then packing as many kids as possible into my vehicle so we can drive around town and look at lights. There is NOTHING that compares to a toddler looking at Christmas lights. Hands down the best thing EV-ER!!!

One of my very favorite things to do is something I will do tonight. After the tree (and the mantle, and the bathrooms and the kitchen) is decorated, I'll turn off all the lights except for the ones on the tree and just...be. Be thankful. Be peaceful. Let my poor battered soul rest and just..be. I'll start every morning from now til New Year's the same way, but with a very large cup of coffee in hand.

So many times (I have been guilty of this myself) we allow ourselves to let the people and things God has blessed us with become the PRIMARY focus of Christmas. When we do this and a relationship ends, we lose our house, car, or other stuff, or a loved one passes away, our sense of loss overrides the joy that just IS Christmas. Even worse, we often allow ourselves to be so utterly consumed with giving and receiving gifts that we focus on nothing else. 

I also want to acknowledge that all Christmas memories aren't warm and fuzzy. Some are just terrible. Some are filled with more tears and hurt and disappointment than you think you can stand. I get it and I am so sorry if your idea of Christmas is scarred by these things. Here's what I know, it is bad enough that bad stuff happened. It is an absolute TRAVESTY to allow it to ruin every Christmas for you forever. 

My point is simply this...You can be excited about Christmas or not, the choice is yours, but it IS a choice because there is MUCH to be amazed by at Christmas. 

And we would have NONE of it with out Jesus. Jesus gives us hope. He gives us peace. He gives us a reason to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Jesus gives us purpose. Jesus heals hearts. Jesus gives us the ability to love and to forgive. Jesus gives us joy. Without the birth of Jesus, our lives would be completely hopeless and there would be no Christmas magic, no joy, no WONDER.

Much Love and BIG BIG hugs!
K