A Christmas Wish...

Each year, I hear so many preaching about the true meaning of Christmas and how we all need to get back to the simple celebration of Christ's birth.

I asked myself earlier this month what that might look like, because, I like many find myself ever short on time, ideas, money and creativity this time of year.  I like this idea in theory -- but I would really like to know what it LOOKS like.  I thought to myself, I would like to meet one, just one person who gets this and can show me.  Because here is what's important to me at Christmas:

1. Celebrating my savior's birth.
2. Expressing love to those around me
3. Honoring the past and building lasting traditions into my children's lives.

I read this list, and honestly, it seems quite wholesome and simple.  But lets take a deeper look:

• Celebrating my savior's birth.
• personally this requires time and space to worship/pray alone
• time with my church family (celebrations, etc)
• service (to the community) - it's where he would have been!
• Celebration (a church service of some kind, which usually involves involvement of some kind by me &/or most of our family members.
• Expressing love to those around me
• This involves gifts - now don't start on the whole material giving thing - I am one of those love language people that expresses and receives love through gifts - but to me it's not WHAT the gift is, or how much it costs, it's that it's the "perfect thing" that shows the people I love that I love them enough to KNOW them, to pay attention, to know their desires, or their passions, or their "favorites".  A gift from me can range from a starbucks card for my friend with a deep love of iced coffee to a trip to a rocky cliff with crayons so we can hurl cares into the ocean (literally) for a friend who is carrying the weight of the world.  So don't preach to me about materialism consuming my world - it just ain't so.
• THIS TAKES TIME - not just to think hard, pray hard and get creative, but to find the thing or the time, or the energy (to create).
• Honoring the past and building lasting traditions into my children's lives.
• decorating, shopping, playing, creating, wrapping, plotting, sneaking -- together.  I love it.  I hope someday the playfulness and joy of that will be the memories they long for with their own kids.
• our Christmas table is open to one and all, my friend Kathleen gave us this gift ever so many years ago when we were "orphans" (our families were all very far away)...and it's a tradition we (Kathleen and I) continue together every holiday (alternating hosting) - people laugh when I post an open invite on facebook to Christmas dinner (or easter, or thanksgiving) but I'm serious, I know how empty a holiday can feel without people you love to share it with.  Nothing brings me greater joy than cooking for 10 or 20 or on one particularly amazing thanksgiving, 31.  We have an amazing "extended family" that is ever changing, ever growing. 

More than any time of year...I miss my Dad at Christmas, I miss him all year, but Christmas especially because he and my Mom made it amazing.  We never had a lot but we were rich beyond measure.  There were always trinkets in the stockings, and gifts under the tree, but these things aren't the ones I remember.  He'd play carols on the piano for hours, not to entertain, but for the cheer joy of it...when the first Carol was played, I knew Christmas was here.  They would make eggnog from scratch, Dad would carve the turkey at the table with great fanfare, and knew everyone's favorite "bits"...he's light plum pudding on fire with brandy and throughout it all...we knew we were loved.