As I begin writing this post, today is December 21, 2018.
Being prepared for this Christmas season is seemingly turning into a bust for me. For various reasons, I am heading into the actual day very unprepared.
Last night, I put the last of the decorations on the tree. (December 20th) The tree topper is MIA.
There is only one stocking hanging on the mantle. It is a lonely little thing. I have no idea where the other three are buried. Somewhere far, far away, I presume. Note that I hang only four stockings. There are actually 13 and very soon to be 14 family members at this point. But who can hang that many stockings?
There is still gift shopping to be done.
Grocery shopping hasn’t happened.
House isn’t cleaned.
Our youngest daughter and her husband arrive tonight!
Oh. And Brian’s birthday is Christmas day.
And I got sick. Is it any wonder?
Last night I was feeling very sorry for myself. It crossed my mind to undecorate the tree and chuck the thing out the window.
This is not how Christmas is supposed to be!
Christmas should be magical!
Christmas should be special!
Christmas should be absolutely perfect!
Really?
Let’s think about that for a minute.
Christmas began as a celebration of the birth of Christ.
Joseph and Mary were required to travel to Bethlehem to be counted. Mary rode a donkey. She was nine months pregnant.
There was no place for Joseph and Mary to stay.
She gave birth in a stable amidst animals.
And the king at that time, finding out about the birth of this baby, wanted the baby killed.
That seems like a pretty imperfect situation to me!
It was actually a very inconvenient time to give birth.
Jesus arrived anyway.
In the midst of confusion, exhaustion, poverty and difficult times.
He arrived.
Jesus didn’t bring the gifts. He WAS the gift!
Life is messy.
Life is complicated.
Life can be overwhelming.
Both then and now.
The craziness is not going to stop just to usher in Christmas. In fact, it is probably going to escalate.
The religious people of that time missed the significance of the birth of Christ. The birth of a baby was not at all what they expected.
They expected a real- life king. A glitzy, glammy, real, like what we are used to king.
What they didn’t expect was a baby born to a poor girl in a stable.
We can get so caught up in our very own Christmas expectations that we completely forget that what we are truly celebrating is the birth of a baby.
We expect the glitzy, the glammy, the REAL Christmas experience. When we get the dirty, the expensive, the inconvenient Christmas, we feel as though we have failed.
Are we like the religious leaders of that time? Do we overlook the birth of Jesus because of our crazy expectations?
If I were 100 percent honest, for myself, I would have to answer yes.
So, I am going to make an effort to let go of my Christmas expectations and instead embrace the not so perfect parts of Christmas.
By accepting the fact that the day may not be perfect but the gift was, I think I may enjoy Christmas a whole lot more.
Merry Christmas!
It will all come together. We just have to remind ourselves to breath. We celebrated our Christmas last weekend so that everyone would not have to rush here, there and everywhere on Christmas day. I told my children it does not say anywhere in the Bible that Jesus was born on Dec. 25. That is the date that man has chosen to celebrate his birth.
Absolutely! I’m so glad you got to enjoy your family. Not rushing through the day makes it even more special.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I made a connection when I read your post. A “little” baby. Living by littles. Put them together and you are living your life guided by that “little” baby. Nice thought – living by a little.
Wow! Why didn’t I think of that? What a great connection!
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the reminder. And another great post.
Thanks!
You always have such a good out look on life. You don’t get bitter about things like when someone tries to get you straight on life. You always have a good response. Must be because of Jesus in your life.
Thank you and yes any little shred of good outlook I possess is due to my faith in Jesus.
Perfectly said ❤️ I’m also trying to slow down in life and enjoy the moments more. The says are long and slow sometimes, but the years are going so fast. Thanks for the reminder to just embrace the craziness and go with the flow, and to remember what Christmas is really all about.
The years do go so fast. It is so good to slow down and appreciate the here and now. Merry Christmas!
This was so tefreshing since I did get sick this year and was feeling sorry for myself for working my but off and then missing all the fun! Feeling under appreciated when the whole season is not about me or what I create! Thank you for setting me straight! I know what Christmas should be about but get lost in the appearances and the perfect bow!
Thank you for commenting! I can definitely relate. We never did find the stockings and the tree topper. I realized no one was really going to care! There is so much stress at Christmas that is really is difficult to remember that it isn’t all about us and creating the perfect bow! Sorry you were sick. May we both have a healthier Christmas next year!