Finding

The earlier the Christmas season stakes a claim in everything from stores, to commercials, and the radio, the harder it has seemed to find the holiday.  I have never struggled being or even finding "merry" the way I have this year.  Is it the lack of snow?  The craziness of everything else going on?  After a few friends have also mentioned their "Bah Humbug" emotions this year, I know it isn't just me.

When I was young, part of the wonder of Christmas was that the season seemed to magically appear after Thanksgiving then disappear as quickly as it came.  The brevity of all of it made it something special to savor.  Now it is as if Christmas is ever present after the fourth of July!

To find the true spirit of the season, I made a Christmas bag for my kids, an envelope for each day of the season with an activity for us to do together.  The key was the togetherness, not about wants or material things.  We've gone to a living nativity, we've made homemade ornaments and sung carols, even shopped for gifts for someone less fortunate than we are.

In explaining why we do for others, specifically a girl just a little older than the girls are themselves, I started to feel a twinge of the season.  As we did our next craft the girls talked about who they could give the finished products to, not just thinking of how they could use them themselves.  This is one of the best gifts I could receive, their understanding of giving and goodwill towards others.

All I thought the other night as I watched them paint was Linus as he told Charlie Brown "that's what Christmas is all about."

This morning, I have to say, I think that the "holly jollies" are creeping into my core a little more and more with every cookie I scoop.  Maybe I will even break out the Santa hat and make some cocoa!