Jolly Holidays

The Holiday Season is just around the corner. Every year I vow to get as much of my Christmas shopping done in advance as possible – so as to truly relax and enjoy the smells and sounds of the Holidays. I haven’t quite achieved my goal yet but each year I get a little closer to it.

It’s important to me to be able to truly relish all the joy that Thanksgiving and Christmas have to offer. I remember relishing them as a kid and as I grew up, more and more responsibility came with the Holidays. You know, goodies to make, a house to decorate,a tree to put up, a big Holiday meal that needs to be prepared, presents to buy, and…and…and – are you out of breath like me? Add to all this school parties and festivities that you MUST attend and contribute to or be ostracized forever.

It’s no wonder people are grumpy during the Holidays! Have you noticed? I sure have. Traffic is thicker but it’s also pushier! No one seems to let you in the lane you need, and others try to edge you out of the one you’re in! People brush by you at the mall practically toppling you over and if you don’t have your child’s hand firmly embedded in your own – you risk them getting trampled!

And how genuine are we if we put on a big grand, elaborate show in the name of “Holiday Spirit” – yet we neglected our children in our quest to bake, conquer, and decorate? How authentic are we if our home looks like a setting in a Christmas catalogue yet we stressed and fretted to get it there without enjoying the process?

I am not saying that we shouldn’t bake some Holiday treats or that we should neglect buying gifts for our loved ones. I am saying that if we are going to undertake things during the Holidays – then we should ENJOY it. We should relish the smells that come with baking a few sweets, the sounds of jingle bells and Christmas music as we shop the mall halls for a few gifts, or the hugs that come with family or friends coming to laugh and eat a big Holiday meal with us. Do you truly enjoy it? Are you genuine about it?

If you don’t get to putting up Christmas lights this year but you spent an hour over hot cocoa with a dear friend listening to Bing Crosby – then good for you! So you won’t win the neighborhood house decorating contest – so what.
That’s what we should keep in mind this Holiday. What is in your heart – your soul? What makes Thanksgiving and Christmas honest and real to you?

It is what’s in our hearts that make the Holidays so magical and memorable.
So authentic and so joyful.

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~ Dionna Sanchez celebrates the joy of the Holidays in Idaho with her husband and three children. She shares her joy of parenting with you at www.EmphasisOnMoms.com/