December is a time of melancholy for me. It’s a reminder of my youth, and of spending time with family and friends. There were four kids in our house, for many years. We got up early in the morning and snuck down the stairs to see if Santa had come. Then we waited. Like forever. We weren’t allowed to open anything until the grandparents arrived.
Until a few years ago, I always really looked forward to Christmas. Now that my kids are all over the place, it’s harder to get together. They’re all as busy as I am. Now my mom and step-dad, dad and step-mom, sister and family, all live in California. And all of my grandparents are gone. My brother and sister-in-law are here and we’re making a plan to get together for dinner sometime in the next couple of weeks. My niece and her family are a couple of hours away and we’re waiting to hear if she’s coming up. I will see three of my kids at some point and I really look forward to that time.
It’s harder to get in the spirit. I put the tree up two weeks ago and it has lights. None of the ornaments are on it yet. They’re next to it, so the natural progression is that I’ll decorate it tonight. Right?
Any busy mom can probably relate to me when I say, I love the holidays, but they’re a lot of work. For someone who works 70 or 80 hours each week, adding in the ability to decorate, make cookies, prepare meals (often for a lot more people) and send gifts…well, it’s overwhelming. Or, it’s overwhelming today, at least. I can’t even imagine having the time to do all of the things I need to do in the next couple of weeks.
Regardless, it will happen. It always does. It comes together and we have a beautiful time. We will eat, drink, and be merry. We will spend time with kids over the next month. We will exchange gifts. And we will make lasting memories until the next holiday comes around.
In the meantime, I bought a bunch of stuff to bring to the pantry, in hopes of sharing the holiday joy I know is “in there somewhere.” Perhaps this holiday my purpose is to share the love with others and not focus “in” so much. May we all have a blessed, and less hectic, holiday season. And grasp on to the little things that make us smile.
