For the Sake of Tradition

 

Although I may have fallen short in this area many times, you do not need to sacrifice yourself on the altar of Christmas to complete you.  The secret to a merry Christmas is not to take it too seriously.  Some people measure their happiness by a Christmas thinking, "If we don't have a good time, then we can't be a happy family" but that's rubbish.  The mother of the family usually gets pulled into all different directions - trying to make things perfect.  And really what is the expectation of perfection?  It can't be possible to achieve it all!

Christmas is a really funny time while I used think that people came to expect so much from me at this time.  And there were many years that I was (in)capable of meeting their needs. But over the years, I have learned to scale back and do just what is important to me and our family. And even with this philosophy, I still would like to make a ton of changes.  To be thoroughly honest, I do not think our family has shared a Christmas Eve in the fashion they would like. And while I would love to set in motion changes to give them the ideal Christmas Eve, it's not going to happen this year. Instead, I will give our kids a time to relax and enjoy the time they will have with family and friends.  After all, that's the point of Christmas - it's about being with people and relationships - that's what really makes the difference.

For me, Christmas sharpens up my mind to think about what God has given us.  That the entire message is love, peace on Earth and goodwill to all men.  All the little jealousies we have, the family bickering and the competition to out-present each other - it goes hand-in-hand with the panicking and frustrations that can often come with this season - and that's got nothing to do with the true meaning. Christmas is about having the people you love around you and counting your blessings.  Merry Christmas!