Hustle and Bustle.....

Preparations for Christmas for me begin after Thanksgiving. We are not what you would call "social" people. We don't attend or give parties. So it should be straightforewards one would think. In fact I don't want to go to get togethers or do any of that fun stuff because I am either too busy or too tired. I used to enjoy it, years ago........pre Tristen, pre grandkids and so on. When going out, dressing up and all that was fun. Is it a natural progression or just me. Now having family for Christmas dinner is the height of "the season". Anything getting in the way of those preparations is a pain in the butt. That's not how it's supposed to be.

Husle and bustle, yes thats what it has been since Thanksgiving. I write my list of things I want to accomplish. I write what I want to give as gifts and to whom. Then I decide I better get my Christmas cards done. The overseas first. I begin that chore, it should not be a chore, but it is. I love to send them, I don't like writing them. I adore getting them myself. So I start those, that usually takes a weekend. If I am decorating I do that over the Thanksgiving weekend. I need to start the week before next year. I need to start earlier. Its like, it feels so far away before Thanksgiving and then like a snowball rolling down hill it gets closer and closer and.........I am never ready. I am organized but. I have slowed down I decided. I must have. Or time moves quicker. What are the odds?

Maybe next year I wont bake. I make cheeseballs for our neighbour and for friends. I usually make fudge. Not this year though. I am making cookies, and savoury treats to give to the kids and grandkids this year. I will use up all my baking things. Maybe then next year I will just buy the treats. Its cheaper. Do people really care? All I know is I can't any longer do it all. I enjoy doing it though so its a quandry. Still that's next year. This year I have loads to do yet. So why am I sitting here. I have one more day to finish the cleaning. My granddaughter Danielle will arrive some time on Monday. She is driving down from the U.P. I hope the weather is good, she will drive back CHristmas day, in the evening to drive 8 hours and then go straight to work at the hospital, where she is a nurse. Her room is ready. Jason will arrive Christmas Eve and his room is ready. Everyone else will show up at some point Christmas Day.

When the 3 granddaughters were young and they came up from North Carolina we would play games like "hunt the thimble" and one year even played "Hide and seek" throughout the house. What a riot that was. Maybe they will teach their kids "hunt the thimble" when they have them. Now, I like a more quiet time. Mainly adults now, except for Reina and Tristen who will be wound up like springs. Justin and his family wont be here this year. We did see them over Thanksgiving. Tristen will have a very active social life, he will be going hither and yon. Gabrielle has to work but her boyfriend Tony and Cooper will be here. Laura and Robert with Reina. They will come for dinner, that has to be early this year I was told because Danielle has to leave. Dan is working.
So...........tomorrow I finish my baking and cooking. My cards are done, my shopping is done. The cleaning is done. Tonight I am relaxing.

Amidst all the hustle and bustle, I must remember to be sure to remind Tristen what we are celebrating. He got a gift certificate in the mail the other day. We took him to Walmart to spend it, on the way he said " Nanny, I don't need anything. I want to give it to the old people"..........I have no idea where that came from. Melts your heart when they say things like that. Well, we went inside and he chose his toys. When we cashed out I gave him his money and he put it in the Salvation Army pot. As it was a gift certificate I figured he may as well spend it, but also be able to do what he wanted to. It's good to encourage generosity when young. So next time we went to the store, again he put money in the pot. He asked what they do with it. So I told him that its for children who wont get toys, for people who dont have food or homes and for those who are hungry. At Christmas I will explain the wise men's gifts and why we celebrate. That makes all the hustle and bustle worth while. None of us really need "things" ..........although my granddaughter Gabby is struggling, they dont earn much and have the baby. My daughter Laura and her family are always struggling over finances. I cant say we are well off, or even doing well but we are very very blessed. I believe that what we have needs to be shared. This coming year I want to make more effort to do that.

To install in our children and their childrens children that giving really is more blessed than to recieve.....that is what makes Christmas for me and makes it all worth while.

Merry Christmas................

I want to wish everyone a Happy Christmas. I also want to wish people Happy Holidays. I would not have said that before. I was one of those Christians who thought that people were trying to do away with Christmas.

Well I sort of had a revelation. Not sure why or how but I did. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our Saviour, of the Christ child. It's not really His birthday but is sort of like the Queen, she has an official birthday. We don't know the date of His birth and maybe that's because He would not want a "birthday" party. I don't know. What I do know, is that this is supposed to be a season of Love and Goodwill towards men.

We use the symbols of Christmas to remember the day of His birth. The Star that guided the wise men to His humble place of birth. The Nativity set to show how He was accepted by the poor and the animals first. His angel spoke to the shepherds bringing "Tidings of Great Joy to ALL men" We give gifts to each other in rememberance of the Magi's gifts to the baby Jesus. Things used at His death and buriel.

However a lot of what we do is also very pagan. The Holly, Misletoe, the tree among other things. So really can we say that we have not taken Christ out of Christmas already? It's a Hallmark holiday. It's commercial. It starts at Thanksgiving and the January sales begin right away. Boxing Day is not celebrated here in America. Twelth Night is gone. It's back to work day after and on with the every day hussle and bustle and returning of unwanted gifts. Instead we should be treasuring them because someone though about you and chose that item for you. I never ever return or exchange a gift. Years ago it was a "Christmas season" people gloried in it, family and friends were the focus. The bible stories were read to the children.

I used to be very irritated when I was working. We ended up not being able to have a Nativity because it may offend someone. We could not have a tree because someone was a Jehovah Witness. That made me angry. I used to decorate our department but when I had to stop using the things that made it Christmas I refused to do it anymore. To me its NOT about Santa.
I tollerated a holiday I really despise without spoiling the fun for those who love Halloween. I could have. So why oh why can we not be left to do our own thing, within reason.

So where am I going with this you may ask.............My own revelation was this. It is not JUST Christmas. It really isn't. It is a season for many religions to celebrate. Kwanzaa is a week long celebration. Hanuuka is the Jewish festival. Yes, on the calender it is marked as Christmas, because its always been that way. This country and many others now are made up of many many non Christians. If we as Christians are to be loving and kind and worship our Lord, then don't we need to accept it with grace and pleasure that someone wishes us a Happy Holiday, because they do not know what our religion is. Not just because its a date on the calender that says Christmas. We need to greet people with Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays because it really is BOTH. How can we be seen as loving human beings who worship our Lord and then turning away a blessing by saying ITS CHRISTMAS, DONT TAKE CHRIST out of Christmas.........This is just my recent thoughts. I do understand now why a business must "not offend" its customers who may be of a different religion. Ironically, in places like some of the Arab countries they allow people to celebrate Christmas openly and by decorating Malls etc for their guests who are Christian. Can we not be as kind.?..........We can NOT take Christ out of Christmas unless we do it ourselves by our commercialism. By loosing the meaning of Christmas, by calling it Xmas.

Christmas is not about shopping, in what we get for Christmas, it's about Love, Peace, Joy, reflection, family, friends and above all it's about God, who came down to dwell amongst us, to die for us, to save our souls. Don't lets forget that by being petulant when someone says Happy Holidays, because it IS a holiday after all. Or being rude and saying "Its Christmas" because for them it may not be, but they are still wishing you joy......say peace be unto you, let the love of Christ shine through you. Jesus told us to let our light shine before men............. Merry Christmas and Happy joyful Holidays.

The Beauty of Christmas.......

I love the Christmas season for many reasons. Memories of Christmas past but also all the beauty that surrounds the Season. The glitter, the candles, the tree. The way the towns put up fairy lights in the trees and the town tree glittering in the square or main street. I love the way the shops are decorated and just everything about it. Its a time of good cheer and friends and family. I realize that it is not really Jesus birthday, but it is a day that we honour His birth. As such it is Christmas and not Xmas. If the stores want to make a profit from the Christmas season then do us the honour of recognizing it as such. Not everyone is a Christian and not everyone celebrates, but if you do then please don't say "Happy Holiday" A lot of folks do not have a holiday so that is meaningless. If it's Hanukkah then say to our Jewish friends Happy Hanukkah not Happy Holidays. We all have our own traditions, the Muslims celebrate Ramadan and we don't say Happy Holidays. "Stand for what you believe even if you stand alone" is a favourite quote of mine.


We all have our traditions too, some watch movies like "It's a wonderful Life" and some watch more current ones that are cute and funny. We send out Christmas cards and catch up with old friends. Family comes home for Christmas. It is a time to celebrate with family, to show love and help others. A time to remember what Christmas is all about. The birth of a baby who changed the world. The son of God. Who came into the world for one reason............to die. To die that we may live forever.


We idealize this birth like in this cute picture but the reality was that the baby was born into a world where it was harsh, there was no room for Him and the angels did not seek out the Kings of the earth but the lowly shepherds in the fields. He was surrounded by the Shepherds and animals when Mary presented her baby to the world. He was accepted and loved by the lowly beings and rejected by the mighty. Yes three wise men did come to worship him but they were the exception. They had been waiting for Him and brought Him gifts that would be used when He died.We follow this tradition by giving gifts to each other, but somehow the reasons have been lost in the commercialism. We need to try to get back to the "reason for the season"



He came to earth from heaven to take away the sins of the world. So please don't reduce the celebration of His birth to a Happy Holiday or worse Xmas.