Appreciation for Christmas

I absolutely love the Christmas season! Not everyone does, because let’s face it; there are many things that can be stressful or annoying about it.

But for me, I get swept up in the good cheer. I love the music, all those great Christmas songs like Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, Silent Night, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and many more. They just make me smile!

photo credit: bulliver

I love the chill in the air, and the way the sky looks so clear at night and the stars shine brightly.

I love the smell of woodsmoke in the air, and the crunch of snow underfoot. I love the lighted decorations that people place on their homes and yards.

I love the smell of cookies baking, eggnog with spiced rum, hot coffee with a dash of peppermint mocha creamer.

I love putting up the Christmas tree and decorating it, pulling out many old, cherished ornaments from when I was a child, plus newer ornaments I’ve received as gifts more recently.

I love buying presents for my friends and family and getting excited when I think about them opening them! I love wrapping the presents and putting sparkly bows and cute tags on them.

This year I’m especially excited to visit my niece and nephew (3 and 5 years old) on Christmas Eve and watch their faces as they anticipate Santa’s arrival and tear into the presents they’ll receive from myself and other family members.

I think what I love most about Christmas is the opportunity to reflect on how blessed we are. Yes, there are things in the world that aren’t so pleasant to think about. Yes, there are problems and challenges. Yes there is war. Yes there is recession and poverty and financial chaos.

But Christmas is a reminder that we don’t always have to stay so focused on those things. We can choose to set them aside and instead focus on feeling happy, feeling cheerful, feeling blessed, and spending time with the people who matter most to us.

Happy Holidays!