If you're an adult reading this, chances are it's been a l-o-n-g time since you felt the true excitement of Christmas. I'm convinced you have to be a child to feel it. By "it", I mean that all-encompassing feeling that if you have to wait one more day, or even one more hour for the big day, you're going to bust!
That's the way Christmas was for me until I was probably ten or eleven. And back in those days, it wasn't hyped as much as it is now.
Part of the problem of being a kid is that the time drags so slowly. A week seemed like a month and a month was more like six months. So that last week waiting for Christmas was absolute torture!! I swear I was delirious, waking up on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th, thinking it was Christmas, and realizing I still had a day or two to go.
Now I'm grown up, and even though I can distinctly remember how I felt, I wish I could truly feel the magic of Christmas again. I have an appreciation, and try to do things to be festive, like decorate and send out cards. I hear plenty of Christmas music, whether I want to or not, and I try to do holiday baking, though in recent years I haven't followed through.
Still, I have trouble feeling the sheer joy of the holiday. There's just too much to do, and not enough time to do it. I tip my hat to anyone who's able to get it all done and still enjoy the season.
It's actually quite normal for people to feel depressed, overwhelmed, and anxious during the holidays. Stress from financial worries, work, the state of the world can all make this a hard time of year. If a loved one died near Christmas, that can also put a permanent damper on the festivities.
In my case, I feel that I can never meet my own high expectations. I have an ideal view about what Christmas should be like, and since that lofty goal is unattainable, I tend to feel a letdown before I even start. Maybe that's why I feel so much better when Christmas is over, and I have a fresh slate to work on for next year.
My ideal Christmas has the house tastefully decorated inside and out. A real tree, and my fiber-optics. The smell of pine, cinnamon, and baking cookies. I will have hand made my cards and gifts for all my friends and family. Will have gotten my shopping done months in advance, to allow plenty of time for creativity and entertaining. I think Christmas brings out the Martha Stewart in all of us. I have hundreds of magazines full of great crafts and foods I'd love to make.
In the perfect world, I'd feel like I made a difference, having contributed to the many worthy charities, especially those involving animals, and children in need. There's still time for me to follow through on this one. I'm an extremely lucky person, and it's time I shared my good fortune.
There's actually time for me to follow up on ALL my Christmas ambitions. It's just time for me to DO it, instead of just talking about it. So off I go, to get my sugar, flour, and other ingredients for my awesome pineapple macadamia nut fruitcake.
If you're feeling down this season, remember you're not alone. Also remember the stress will be over soon, and there's light at the end of the tunnel. If you're fortunate enough to be swept up in the pure joy of the season, be sure to share your enthusiasm with those who can appreciate it, but don't force it on those who are already having a hard time dealing with it.
One thing I won't forget to do is to thank God and Jesus for being alive. No matter how hard life gets, I won't ever forget what God has done for me and my family. Christmas is really about Him.
If you've never seen it, I recommend my favorite Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life". It encompasses all the things I talked about in this post: the unbridled joy, the despair, and ultimately, the realization that every person put on this Earth has a purpose. And that what YOU do has an effect on everybody around you, more than you realize. It's brilliantly acted. I'm going to upload the trailer.
I selected a short one, that didn't give away too much of the plot, in the unlikely event you haven't seen it. Merry Christmas!
Karin
It's actually quite normal for people to feel depressed, overwhelmed, and anxious during the holidays. Stress from financial worries, work, the state of the world can all make this a hard time of year. If a loved one died near Christmas, that can also put a permanent damper on the festivities.
In my case, I feel that I can never meet my own high expectations. I have an ideal view about what Christmas should be like, and since that lofty goal is unattainable, I tend to feel a letdown before I even start. Maybe that's why I feel so much better when Christmas is over, and I have a fresh slate to work on for next year.
My ideal Christmas has the house tastefully decorated inside and out. A real tree, and my fiber-optics. The smell of pine, cinnamon, and baking cookies. I will have hand made my cards and gifts for all my friends and family. Will have gotten my shopping done months in advance, to allow plenty of time for creativity and entertaining. I think Christmas brings out the Martha Stewart in all of us. I have hundreds of magazines full of great crafts and foods I'd love to make.
In the perfect world, I'd feel like I made a difference, having contributed to the many worthy charities, especially those involving animals, and children in need. There's still time for me to follow through on this one. I'm an extremely lucky person, and it's time I shared my good fortune.
There's actually time for me to follow up on ALL my Christmas ambitions. It's just time for me to DO it, instead of just talking about it. So off I go, to get my sugar, flour, and other ingredients for my awesome pineapple macadamia nut fruitcake.
If you're feeling down this season, remember you're not alone. Also remember the stress will be over soon, and there's light at the end of the tunnel. If you're fortunate enough to be swept up in the pure joy of the season, be sure to share your enthusiasm with those who can appreciate it, but don't force it on those who are already having a hard time dealing with it.
One thing I won't forget to do is to thank God and Jesus for being alive. No matter how hard life gets, I won't ever forget what God has done for me and my family. Christmas is really about Him.
If you've never seen it, I recommend my favorite Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life". It encompasses all the things I talked about in this post: the unbridled joy, the despair, and ultimately, the realization that every person put on this Earth has a purpose. And that what YOU do has an effect on everybody around you, more than you realize. It's brilliantly acted. I'm going to upload the trailer.
Karin
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