CHRISTMAS OH CHRISTMAS

Well, here we are again, another year older, a little bit bolder. And Christmas is almost upon us

As I decorate my first-ever fake tree, I’m awash with Christmas pasts – oh, not the Ebenezer Scrooge kind, but the Christmases when my kids were small and I stayed up all night wrapping presents and worrying that the gifts weren’t right, or the kids would be disappointed. I barely remember what those gifts were, but I sure remember the anxiety and fear that I hadn’t done enough.

Now the kids live far away and I spend Christmas in Mexico, with my husband and our furry family. Here the sun shines, the waves roll, and the frantic shop-until-you-drop routine is non-existent, for me at least. Ah well, to everything there is a season. So as I tuck red lights into this white tree, I wonder what Christmas gifts I can contribute.

Bake some cookies, support the children’s fund, donate gifts to poor families. That’s a good start, but what I really need to do is be kinder to my husband every single day and not take him for granted. Appreciate my grown children and grand-kids just the way they are. Take better care of myself. Smile at passers by. Give thanks to God for carrying me through another year. Give thanks to you for taking the time to read this. Be grateful for the light.

So what does this season mean to you? Are you shopping and frazzled, trying so hard to make other people happy, but forgetting about yourself? Are you peaceful and serene, knowing you are a gift to the universe and whatever you give or do with others will be wonderful? That’s the Christmas message I want to impart. Whether you live in a land of white or perpetual green, I hope you take time to reflect on all that you are, all that you do, and that you are grateful for every bit of love in your life.

Go on, give yourself a hug. You deserve one!

                                                                                               PEACE JOY AND LOVE TO ALL.