I’m writing this on Christmas evening. The kids are contentedly watching a new Tom & Jerry DVD, my husband is in the den on the computer, and I have a few free moments. I wasn’t going to write tonight, but I’m feeling kind of sad that Christmas is coming to an end.
I don’t usually feel that way after Christmas. I love Christmas, but by the time the day is over, I’m usually ready to look forward to the New Year. But this year Christmas just seemed extra special, so I had to ask myself why. And I’ve come up with a few reasons.
The bad news. I’ve heard a lot of bad news in the last month or so. Deaths. Cancer. Financial trouble. None of it hit so close to home that it devastated me, but it was close enough that I spent a lot of time on my knees praying for people. And all the bad news made me extremely grateful for the blessings we have. Health, family, my husband’s job. We are very blessed, even in a lean year like this one.
Thoughtfulness. We didn’t have the funds for expensive Christmas gifts this year. I wasn’t too sad about it, but I wondered how the kids would react after receiving a Wii last year. I thought they’d be OK, but I didn’t know.
They were thrilled with their presents! They both got Webkinz, some clothes, and each got a new DVD. To judge from their reactions, they had the best Christmas ever. And as usual, the kids picked out gifts for us, too. It’s always fun to see what they pick and how well they know us. I received chocolate from my daughter and a Dale Earnhardt Jr. biography from my 7 year old son. He knows Dale Jr. is my favorite NASCAR driver, and he knows I like to read, so this was a logical gift, in his mind.
And my husband, sneaky man that he is, made a mental note of a book title I wrote down after it was mentioned in church a couple of weeks ago. He then tracked down the book on Amazon and ordered it. I’m a really tough person to buy for, because I have everything I want and need. I never know what to ask for, so the fact that he took notice and got a book that I was going to hunt down meant a lot to me.
Gifts don’t have to be expensive to mean a lot. If the recipient can see the thoughtfulness that goes into a gift, it will be priceless, no matter how small the price tag.
Keeping Our Eyes on Jesus. This year we made a big effort to keep meaning in the Christmas season. In our homeschool, the kids learned about Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Shepherd’s Field. We imagined what Mary and Joseph’s journey must have been like. We looked at pictures of mangers on the internet.
Perhaps the best thing we did was read the advent story Jotham’s Journey. It’s fictional, but it takes place around the time of Jesus’ birth, and it was a gripping story with lots to think about. The kids really got into it, and we finished reading it this morning, before we opened presents.
When I look back and remember this Christmas, I’m going to remember gathering together on our bed this morning to read. I’ll remember the kids playing together with their Webkinz. I’ll remember a slow and relaxing day with the people I love most, celebrating our Savior’s birth.
Photo by paparutzi.
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I wrote on my facebook: A wonderful day of Family, Friends, a full belly, and fantastic sunshine here in the rainy NW – who could ask for more :)
Grateful for our blessings!
And – thanks for the advent book mention…. I looked it up and will be ordering a couple copies for the grandkids’ families… It seems like it would be a perfect EARLY Christmas gift next year! Thanks!
I’m glad you had a great Christmas! The weather was lovely, wasn’t it?
I think your grandkids will love the book! There’s three in the series, though I think one is out of print at the moment. We’ll be ordering the one that’s in print for next year. And hopefully the third one will be back in print by the following year.
I echo your sentiments exactly. This Christmas was not about “stuff”. It was about the Savior, about family, and about spending quality time together. I think it is one of the best Christmases I’ve had in a while.
I totally agree with your thoughts and sentiments. This Christmas, as the last two or three, have been pretty lean for our family too. I had been going through December thinking about what to get the kids, and the rest of the family; with co-workers talking about dropping over $500 over the weekend. Kind of makes you a little blue.
But for me the emphasis has been on Christ this Christmas and all the wonderful blessing we have been given and continue to get. The kids got three small gifts each and they were right on target!!
As long as we remeber that Jesus is the reason for the season, I have all the gifts I need!!!
Thank you for all that you do to keep us informed and entertained!
As my priest said on Christmas Eve, it is wonderful to be able to go around giving blessing to each other when we say “Merry Chrsitmas!”
So Merry Christmas to you and yours!!
Nora
A belated Merry Christmas to you. Thank you so much for your blog, I look forward to it everyday. This year my husband had an auto accident in early December, so Christmas was very simple and to the point. We are so thankful he is alive. God has blessed us with life and that in itself was gift enough.
Congrats on the Kindle. I think I would like one, however I too love the scent of books. Please give us an update on your likes/dislikes of your Kindle.
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