Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time!
It’s that time a year again when everyone is running around last minute trying to find the perfect gift for everyone they know. Some are spending money they really don’t have to spend and others are wondering where they will even get the money in the first place. Others are finding themselves in depressions because they don’t have anyone to even spend Christmas with. How did this holiday season get so out of hand? Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas. I love the colors and lights. I love the decorated trees and the presents under them. But in reality is it just a cover up?
This may be a little raw for some to read and it may seem kinda on the sad side of things, but this is a blog about my real life, so here it goes. For the several years in my first marriage we just scraped by ALOT. Our children did not always have the newest of things or the latest contraption but I can assure you, Christmas was their time of year. Feeling guilty for all of the things we could not get during the year, we over did it on Christmas. We would spend our whole pay check plus any bonuses on Christmas..not leaving any finances for bills.
Did the kids have a great Christmas? Sure did. Did all of those “things” really mean anything in the the long run? What my family needed was a year full of love not a one day show. I look back at my dysfunctional past and I just want to scream! I feel like we robbed our children of a true representation of a family. I sometimes wish I could go back and change things and then I realize it all happened and nothing can change the past, we can only move forward.
So now, we don’t make a huge effort on Christmas to get gifts. We have a set amount to spend and that’s it. But one thing we do have still is each other. We have good memories and bad and that holds us together. It really caught me off guard this year when I forgot a very important tradition. I called my daughter and suggested that we do Chinese for dinner this year and I heard her disappointment when she simply said, “What? No lasagna and spaghetti this year?” How could I have completely forgotten a 19 year tradition? I still remember when Alex (my son) was four years old and I had made lasagna and garlic bread for Christmas Eve with a beautiful candle lit dinner. We were about half way done with dinner and he piped up and said, “Mom, can we do this every year?”
So every year since we have had lasagna and spaghetti ( the spaghetti started when Alex was about 12 and suddenly didn’t like lasagna) and I can’t believe I almost forgot this year. But what does this say? It says it really wasn’t about the overload of presents all along, it was about being with family and enjoying the little things which didn’t cost much. It was about feeling loved, accepted and valued.
I pray each of you had a wonderful Christmas no matter how you celebrated. I pray that all have seen Jesus this year in some way shape or form. I pray 2015 will be a year of many blessings and grace!
Step Upon the Golden Road with Me! 