The holidays are such a glorious and joyful time of the year. The brisk cold air brings with it anticipation of our Thanksgiving feast, time with our families, and the joy that comes with choosing the perfect gift for a loved one at Christmas. We bring out our favorite recipes that have become a family tradition, and those treasured ornaments handed down through the years. The smells of gingerbread, cinnamon, and pine cones fill each corner of the house with love, as comforting and easy as watching the snow fall and blanketing the rooftops. The lights twinkle against the dark sky, while smoke billows from the chimneys from a nice cozy fire.........these are all things we think about when the holidays roll around each year.
However, things can get in the way of our hanging on to that dream of the perfect Christmas that Norman Rockwell depicts on the front of LIFE magazines from years ago, especially with the current state of the economy and people losing their jobs. We are all afraid to spend money, for we don't know how bad it's going to get, and quite frankly I'm sure many have felt as I have, where your trip to the grocery store is quite different than it was six months ago. Instead of making several desserts, or having turkey and ham, we realize that we will have to scale down our menu, in hopes of not taking away from the traditional Christmas dinner.
I think the best way in which to handle this, is asking people to bring a dish to share, instead of one person taking on the responsibility of the whole meal. That way it's not a burden, but a joint effort on everyone's part, and a more appropriate way in which to celebrate the bringing together of loved ones in order to celebrate the holidays.
The same can be said for buying gifts. Many families draw names, so that you're responsible for buying one gift, instead of struggling to come up with the money to buy several. Or, you can even decide to not buy gifts in your family, but instead preparing a meal together and offering it to a family in need. The holidays should not be about going into debt, but about celebrating the birth of Christ, and stopping for a moment and remembering how much our loved ones mean to us, especially when we are all at the mercy of today's economy and being forced to make decisions to stay afloat.
We can still enjoy the Norman Rockwell Christmas, using our last years decorations, table cloths, and scaled down menu's, and making a conscious decision to simplify the holidays instead of having the need to elaborate. People love handmade and home cooked items, which can be very inexpensive to make, and appreciate the love and time it took to make them.
I hope we can all focus on the true meaning of Christmas this year, remembering that even when faced with not knowing what to expect after the holidays are over, we can still enjoy those things that bring us peace and joy, whether it's driving around looking at the Christmas lights, or stopping by a friend's house for eggnog and fruitcake.
The world needs love, laughter, understanding, and compassion this year, and a belief that God will bless us all, even in the midst of bad times.....which ultimately gives us true reason to live "in anticipation."
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Blessed New Year!
