IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR

So as we all know, Christmas is upon us!  I truly love this time of year.  I love how everywhere you go there is the air of Christmas all around.  There is Christmas music, Christmas decorations, Christmas candy, Christmas everything!  No matter where you go or what you do, there’s a little bit of Christmas everywhere.  Even grocery shopping is filled with the Christmas spirit as baked good ingredients seem to scream “buy me and the smell of Christmas will permeate your house!”  Everywhere it’s Christmas.  There’s just something different about this time of year that really does sing, “it’s the most wonderful time, of the year…”

But as fun as I find Christmas it never ceases to amaze me how fast my December fills up with things to do, attend, and prepare for.  It can get overwhelming!!  And, being overwhelmed can get me grouchy making my “bah humbugs” ring out louder than my “Merry Christmas’s.” I will even go as far to admit that there have been Christmas seasons when I started out excited and ready for Christmas festivities, but then my days filled up faster than I could handle and my excitement turned to stress FAST!!  Very slowly my happiness became crankiness! 

I have found myself going from this…




To this…




To finally this…




Obviously, we all handle the Christmas season in our own unique way.  Bottom line though what stresses us out about Christmas has nothing to do with the true meaning…which is sad.  We get so caught up in the materialistic aspects of Christmas and forget why we celebrate it.  Christ’s birth is something to be celebrated as it signifies hope, peace, love and eternal life for every human being.  In light of everything that is on the news these days, I think it’s safe to say we’re all running a little low in the hope, peace and love departments.  The world can seem like a pretty dismal place to exist and it is easy to become discouraged not only in our personal lives but in the lives around us.

So what’s a person to do?

Well, I know for me personally, I try to remind myself of all I have been blessed with.  My grandma told me many years ago, there is ALWAYS a reason to give thanks.  Blessings surround us if we just take the time to notice them.  I also try to look for ways to add cheer to lives of those around me – even on days when I don’t “feel” all that cheerful.  It’s amazing to me how blessed I feel when I do something for someone else.  It really is better to give than receive!  And ultimately,   I remind myself of the hope that was born in a manger all those years ago and the hope that is promised to come again!  This life is not the end!

No matter where you might be on the Christmas-happiness-scale, here’s my prayer for you:




“May this Christmas season bless you.  May you find ways to increase the joy and love in those around you.  And may you believe in the hope that Christ brought us and continues to bring us every day.”

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