Christmas Thoughts

The truth is, we are tiptoeing our way into the Christmas season this year.  Thanks to Jason, the lights are up inside and out, and while the trees have been assembled, they have yet to be decorated. 

Of the dozen or so nativities that we have collected over the years, I only set out four this year.  Noah styled this one with a garden gnome and a suspiciously placed wise man peeking around the corner. 

The one present that will sit under the tree for the next three weeks is a compilation of "gifts to Jesus"- our personal offerings of ways that we can make this a Christ-centered Christmas season.  We put them into an envelope without sharing, sealed it up and hopefully will remember the true reason for this season.  

Because lets be honest, Christmastime is crazy time!  There are parties and concerts and recitals and gift exchanges and donations and service opportunities and musical numbers and treats to be shared and traditions to uphold!  We could spend the entire month running ourselves ragged to celebrate our hearts out.  

And boy do Santa's little helpers have a lot of work to do to help get everything ready for the big day!  (Did I know this as a kid? No. I just showed up and enjoyed the fun that was presented to me- the advent calendar, the Christmas cookie decorating, and dropping surprises off on people's doorsteps are a few that immediately come to mind- with no thought of the effort that went into preparing for the fun., but I suppose that is the joy of a childhood Christmas.)  

All around, this season has the potential to be incredibly overwhelming. As an adult, for all that has to be one, and as a child for all the excitement and extra events that are piled on top of the busy school days and extracurricular nights. But that overwhelm doesn't feel quite right, especially given the quiet that we are seeking at the end of this awesome, full year. I asked each of the kids about their favorite Christmas tradition- their answers included our Christmas Eve Dinner with Christ, driving around to look at Christmas lights, shopping for and making meaningful donations, the sibling gift exchange, and watching our favorite Christmas movies. 

So when December 1st hit yesterday and I remembered back to the years that I filled our advent calendar with a daily adventure or surprise, I decided to stop myself from feeling guilty that I'm not doing that this year.  Our calendar is already quite full for the month, and we're going to let the favorite traditions rise to the top while the rest fade away or at least take a break for the year. 

The elves have made their appearance, quietly watching over all that is happening in the house for the month. 

The shopping has begun.  No matter how short our Christmas lists are, we do of course have a long list of people we want to express our love and gratitude for. 

Christmas often finds us at an interesting crossroads.  We spend the bulk of the year fostering gratitude, simplicity and contentment.  We donate or sell the things we don't love or need anymore, we try to keep our possessions to a reasonable limit, we avoid coveting all of the things we don't have that other people seem to enjoy (there are so many things out there!) 

Then Christmas rolls around and we demand from each other a list of all the things we want that will represent our love and thoughtfulness (within a reasonable spending limit, that is). 

What if the list just isn't that long?

Genuinely contemplating this question, I presented it to the kids- Does not having a lengthy list of Christmas wants mean you're a boring person? The answer was an emphatic "No! It means you're happy and grateful and content with what you have."

I think that counts as teaching my kids something right!

Jason, ever the philosophizer, turned it around and asked, "If giving someone a gift means you are showing you love them, does not giving them a gift mean that you don't love them?"

This year in particular, where we are actively striving to back off from the excess that has come by way of amazing travel and incredible experiences, it just feels tricky. I think I might need to rethink what Christmas really has to offer. Isn't it about a joyful season and a peaceful and happy day spent with the people you love?  And no one is against a few presents thrown in to the celebration, it's just the expectations that we as parents put on what exactly those Christmas offerings mean that stresses me out.  Why do we hang so many hopes on those Christmas morning expectations?

I'm still pulling for a gift-free vacation Christmas.  I think it would be awesome to spend the holiday "Skipping Christmas" (one of my personal favorite Christmas traditions is to read John Grisham's book by the same name) and enjoying a trip as a family.  I have been met with serious pushback about the idea, but I can still tell my kids many details, including what I received as a small gift or two, the year that my family traveled to Hawaii for Christmas.  Traditions are wonderful, but what about skipping them once in a while?   

Not this year though.  We are overjoyed to be home for the holidays.  And for now, although the calendar is quickly filling up, we are aiming for the peace and joy that really shines through this time of year. 

My go-to Christmas magic tricks are turning off the overhead lights so we can enjoy the soft twinkle of the Christmas lights, lighting my favorite Winter White candle, playing instrumental Christmas music so we can enjoy the softer tunes without the chaos of the lyrics to the more upbeat ones, and picking out one of the many Christmas books we have on hand to snuggle up with on the couch.  That sounds like a perfect December night to me!