Reflections on Christmas Season

I am a sucker for falalala lifetime and I never met a Hallmark movie that didn't make me cry. I marvel at the life-changing epiphanies the characters experience and find myself in awe at the seemingly perfect Christmas parties and decorations. I realized this week most of those movies take place in the last two weeks or less before Christmas. They manage to buy gifts and trees, decorate the house inside and out, bake cookies, and entertain with the most lavish buffets on Christmas Eve all in that short time and still find time to resolve some live crisis.



2010 Silver Spokes Christmas Party



Now come back to reality. I have been at so many parties already since Thanksgiving I am feeling tired and bloated and wondering how we got involved in this marathon. After some soul searching I have come up with a very satisfactory answer.  Many of the same people are at these parties and yet I wouldn't miss a single one of them. I just wish I knew how to curb my oral intake a little. We face a celebration almost every day until we depart for Florida in about 10 days. I think this is a reflection of the wonderful circle of friends and family we have around us. Even though we see these people frequently all year round, it is important to share a bit of this wonderful Christmas spirit of love with those who are important to us. It is the sharing of the special times that make the ordinary remarkable. 

Recently I received a lecture from an zealous Christian who does not allow her children the joy of Santa Clause lest they forget the reason for the season. After dealing with the guilt she laid on me for my own overboard Santa Clause spirit over my lifetime, I decided she was wrong. If people have lost the meaning of Christmas it has nothing to do with Santa Clause. After all, had not St. Nick been given the blessing of the Catholic Church by his canonization? The very invention of Santa Clause was born of the spirit of giving gifts  as a way to celebrate the glorious occasion of Jesus birth. The generosity of spirit and the sharing of love it takes to find just the perfect gift for someone is as Christian as anything. So, while I agree that it is important to instill in our children the importance of the holiday season as a religious experience I don't believe we do that by  denying them Santa Clause. We do that by making sure they understand the true nature of Santa Clause. We do that by showing them there is as much joy in finding the perfect gift to give as in receiving the perfect gift. We do that by helping them see the joy in donating to a food pantry or toys for tots program as part of their Christmas giving. We do that by making sure they are in church during advent as well as Christmas and that prayer is a part of their lives, not only at Christmas, but all year. We do that by playing the traditional religious Christmas Carols at home between the "Grandma Got Run Over By the Reindeer"s and  monitoring their TV viewing to be sure there are a few Hallmark movies in the program.

So my advise to you is go overboard with Christmas and celebrate the joy that God intended for us by giving us the greatest gift of all in his only son.