Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Where Is Christmas?


Each night I enjoy going to different blogs and reading their daily posts. The past few days most of the posts are about Christmas. No Christmas spirit, can't find the right gifts,can't find the lights or decorations, not wanting to go to family or work Christmas get togethers, want to just forget Christmas this year. Stop the stressing people! Christmas isn't meant to be a stressful, rushed, or depressing time. Its not too late! You can still find that Christmas magic. Who says you have to purchase lots of expensive presents for everyone? Who says you have to send everyone Christmas cards? Who says you have to bake everything? Who says your tree, home and yard have to be the best decorated in town? Make your Christmas a nice, stressfree, fun, enjoyable one. Buy one special present for each immediate family member. Let other friends and family know that you won't be buying them gifts this year (they will be relieved they don't have to shop for your family too) Don't worry about the baking if you don't want to. There are bakeries and bake sales where you can pick up good as you bake items. Take the family and go for a ride to look at Christmas lights. Come home and put on Christmas music, drink hot chocolate and read a Christmas story with the family. Decorate the tree in any way and color you want. Who cares if its not magazine photo material. Its your tree and you are the one that will be enjoying it! Pop some popcorn and watch a Christmas movie. Take time to ask the family members what their favorite Christmas memory is and maybe try to bring some of those memories into this Christmas. Don't let your Christmas become a commercial Christmas. Unwrap the years until you unwrap the child's heart that you had stored away.To the carols you had fun singing with friends. To the ornaments you made that mom hung on the tree with pride. To the mistletoe and holly you found in the woods to help decorate the house. To the excitement you felt on Christmas Eve at bedtime waiting for Santa. To the warmth you felt in your heart and the tears in your eyes when you heard someone reading the story of Jesus birth and someone else sang Silent Night. Remember the pleasure of peppermint stick candy and the smell of oranges, apples and tangerine. Of cracking nuts by the fire while dad read the Night Before Christmas. To get that Christmas magic back, to find Christmas again all you have to do is unwrap that child you have hidden deep inside. Bit by bit your happy memories will grow and all the little things that made your Christmas magic years ago will come back one hundred fold. Christmas is a time of magic..... For everyone.... Even you.

11 comments:

Rachel said...

You hit the nail right on the head! Very good advice for all of us to follow. Thank you!

Patricia said...

slowing down is more fun, anyway. i never understand why people RUSH to cram in a hundred things and never really get to enjoy them. i'd much rather only do 3 or 4 things but really be able to have all of the fun with none of the pressure.

melissa said...

I'll admit to feeling overwhelmed. Thanks for the great post.

eyes_only4him said...

I love you Peggy:-)

thank you

Tee/Tracy said...

Peggy - what a beautiful and timely reminder. Thank you so much. I'm so happy I visited your blog today. I can't tell you how much your post made me smile and warmed my heart.

Finn said...

Well put dear friend, very well put indeed ! Think I'm going to print it off an send to a couple of my kids!! Hugs, finn, who's alive and well and playing in her scraps..*VBG*

Alice said...

Such a lovely posting, Peggy. I admit to having suffered from Christmas Stress for many years, and on top of that would come the guilt because I really wanted it to be different and to be able to enjoy Christmas as I did when a child. But in latter years, as the children have grown up, I've been much more relaxed about it, and enjoy it more. Of course, now that I'm retired I have all the time in the world to enjoy it!

Miss Robyn said...

thanks Peggy !!

Leann said...

When you are right, you are so very RIGHT!!! Thanks for sharing this with us Peggy...

Judypatooote said...

I can't believe that Christmas is a week from this coming Sun. I have been cleaning the basement up for the kids to play in....we have a huge chalk board down there and they love to play school.....i am looking forward to it...and not stressing....what for....what will be will be......

Thanks Peggy for your Christmas card and special treat of tea bags. My kitchen and family room is done as a tea room...and i love tea.....i'll think of you when i relax this evening with my cup of tea.....blessings......

Perri said...

I bet a lot of people appreciated your post today. Well written and what a great reminder of what is important.