Eighteen days and counting! As each December rolls around I find the hustle and bustle of the holidays leaves me exhausted, often sick and very overwhelmed. As we near Thanksgiving I start thinking about the gifts I want to make, gatherings I'd like to have, traditions I want to share or start and by December 5th I'm done.
I think our society has become so commercialized and instant that the expectations are to great. Time with family and friends although well intended gets lost in already overstuffed schedules. Social media although keeping you connected really just eats away precious time and doesn't fill the need to commune with others. Celebrations are timed and often impersonal as we rush from one event to another.
So during these last 18 days of Christmas, I hope you will step back and unplug. Sit with a loved, share a warm beverage maybe a cookie or two and get back to a simpler more meaningful time where you can love and beloved. Remember that First Christmas so long ago when our Lord gave us a Savior, a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes in a lowly manager. That is the true gift of Christmas, the gift of love. "For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son" John 3:16. So who will you share the season with? Who will you take the time to sit with and enjoy the blessing of relationship with today?
May you slow down and enjoy a simpler way this beautiful time of year. Christmas Blessings to all!
