After attending a Holiday Open House at GG?s Framed Art and Gifts in Statesville, North Carolina this past weekend, and with a chance of snow in the forecast I have begun to get the holiday jitters. After all it is only six weeks until Christmas.
Every year when I start thinking about all there is to do in such a short time my heart starts racing and my chest feels tight. Why, oh why do I let the ?to do? list steal my Christmas joy?
My ?to do? list consists of first of all a ?list? of names I?ll be buying gifts for this year. Keep in mind that I made this ?list? a few weeks ago, long before Halloween, or even the thoughts of Thanksgiving. As the shopping list grows so does my anxiety. What to get this person, what not to get this other person? What to buy for the one who has everything? What to buy for the person who never likes anything you get, and you know even before you pay good money for this old Scrooge?s gift you?ll have to return it.
Don?t get me wrong; I love to buy for people, especially if I know it is something they really want. But in this day and time if a person wants something they go out and buy it for themselves. I remember Christmas time as a child. There wasn?t all this commercialism, at least not at my house anyway. Our tree was cut from the woods around my house and we were lucky if it got put up a week before Christmas not a month before like most people do today.
My mama didn?t spend weeks going from mall to mall searching for presents either. Back in the day we got what we needed, clothes, underwear and shoes. I did get toys, but not twenty, just two or three. My best childhood memories are of my daddy bringing home stick candy, mixed nuts and a bag of oranges and tangerines. If these small pleasantries were all that was offered to kids today they would call the cops on us for abuse.
We have become so spoiled, living so much richer than we were raised. Now don?t get me wrong I?m preaching to the choir. Every year I promise myself I am not going over board, but then I think, maybe I?ll just get the granddaughter a couple more things and before I know it she has a mountain of stuff that she doesn?t really need or will appreciate.
This year I hope I will be able to stick to my guns and not let that ?to do? list ruin the joy of Christmas. After all Christmas is not presents, it?s not even getting together with family. Christmas is Jesus. It is the time of year we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.
Luke 2:10
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.?
