Our Christmas

I'm never ever going to get it in life unless I am able to just sit down, shut down my mind that loves to go and go and go! This Christmas was very different for our family.  Our new little one now three months old does not really know anything that is going about her.  We did not get a tree until the day before Christmas--Andy at work fell a 124 foot tree and kept the top!  This was truly a fun experience.  It was not exactly a full tree--limbs were not symmetrical, there were many holes---lol like part of the right side of the tree did not have ANY branches at all!  A Charlie Brown Tree :)  We did not have as many presents to give away this year, nor did we have tons of presents under the tree.  I know that my mind wanted to give this little darling of mine a full Christmas Tree, with colorful colors of wrapped gifts, and a train or something buzzing around the tree.  I felt like a failure.  We used to have so much income coming in, but with me being pregnant with our first, I had to stop.  I guess I felt a lot of guilt for not having the Christmas I see in movies, and books, and songs.  But when I look into my husband's eyes, I know that we are good.  Our family is blessed.  We are in good health.  We are together.  What gifts we got were blessings and what we needed.  Time spent with family and friends was full and warm and lasting.  My regrets about not working and staying home just melt away when I think about this Christmas. 

I have learned a valuable golden lesson This Christmas that I thought I knew and practiced.  I know that God is taking care of us, and Christmas is not about gifts or about how much holiday decor we have around the house.  I have got to stop and remember that it is a remembrance of what God gave to us--a Savior.  He did not have the gold, the crown, the riches of this life, he was born in the most humbling of places.  His parents were going from house to house, they were turned away.  "No room"  sorry.  He was surrounded by animals, not the coziness and splendor of wealth.  Our Savior was born.  We celebrate his birth., and we must not forget this.  I know that next year I will be running around trying to get things ready for Christmas, but I know I want to remember and WILL remember what christmas is really all about.

We make Christmas and every Holiday special, not the other way around.  I don't know...Too many times I have gotten stressed out preparing for or celebrating the holidays that I don't stop to see that my husband, daughter, and friends are just happy to be together!  
Treasure the time spent with people.  Don't let "stuff" make us miss what is meaningful.