i have spent the last 30 years caught up in christmas. the good, the bad and the ugly of it all. i have been caught up in it all, and well frankly, i am tired. i am tired of the consumerism of it. i am tired of all the “family drama” the is associated with it. i am tired of feeling like i can’t shower my family and friends with gifts because i can’t afford it. i am tired of not taking the time to stop, take in a deep breath and enjoy the beauty of the season or reflect on the purpose as to why we have christmas in the first place.
all this to say, i am not boycotting christmas, but i am just re-aiming my purpose. for me, this past year has been a tidal wave of ups and downs, back and froths, side to sides and full tilt spins. has this past year been any different than any other year? emotionally… yes. everything else… no. i felt things this year that i never thought that i would feel. i felt things that i could never have imagined felt so amazing, then in a turn feel so completely horrible that i at times didn’t know how to move on from the pain.
in the tidal wave of it all… the rock solid foundation that existed, and will continue to, is Jesus. the tidal wave has subsided and the damage is manageable, but no matter how horrific i think the residual damage is, Jesus always makes it look like a piece of cake.
this season i am doing a few things differently…
taking time to breath
being more purposeful in my gift giving
spending more time with the reason for the season… Jesus
will only listen to “Christmas” music
open my bible everyday and blogging about the experience
acknowledging Christmas shenanigans as just that, shenanigans
not taking myself too seriously
extraordinary 