Skip to main content

Merry Freakin' Christmas!

The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear. -Buddy the Elf


I love Christmas time.  I love the decorations, the lights, the songs, the wrapping paper, the corny movies, the gift exchanges, the cookies, the Santa visits, the angel trees, the ornaments, the stories of the "first" Christmas, the little sheepies in the nativity sets that join their masters in admiring a baby, and really, all the traditions.

I have, and still do, at times, let myself get lost in the busyness and stress that this holiday season can bring.  But this year, when trying to come up with a song lyric to draw and frame for my living room, and getting a hilariously unhelpful suggestion from my husband, I began to reflect on what I was going to let Christmas mean to me this year.  It can mean so many different things, as many different things as there are different relationships with the Divine and/or with Jesus.  Is it about giving or charity or hope or joy or toys or family or calm or light or peace?  Yes.  And more.  

But this year, I am choosing an intention for my advent season, and for me, it is going to be peace.  I am going to focus my attention on being a peaceful person, especially in my home and toward my family, and encouraging peacefulness among us.  I won't ignore the joy, I never can, but will take time and responsibility to set the tone, and lead with love.

What will you focus on this holiday season?  What is your favorite part about Christmas?  Do you have a favorite Christmas song lyric?

"Peace on Earth will come to all, if we just follow the Light." 
Here Comes Santa Claus

Here are some of the song lyrics I ended up doodling:

One daughter's lyric suggestion, from "Jingle Bells."
The other daughter's suggestion, also from "Jingle Bells."
My idea, from "O Holy Night."
My so-helpful husband's lyric submission, from "Good King Wenceslas."
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

You Do You

I am so over our competition culture. Can we all agree to be confident enough in our own life choices that we can stop overselling them to our friends and family?  And stop arguing or at least implying that our choices are superior to theirs? You do you. Click here to download You Do You doodle. And I'll do me.  We can all be happy doing what is best for us.   Home school or public school or private school.  Daisies or succulents.  Cable or Netflix/Hulu or no TVs.   Disposable diapers or cloth.  Mini-van or SUV or truck.  Color your hair or go gray.  Heels or flats.  Vegan or vegetarian or flexitarian or carnivore.  Read the book or watch the movie or both.  Coke or Pepsi or "I don't drink pop."  Pop or soda or soda pop.  Run or lift weights or dance or don't.  From scratch everything or go out to eat.  Chocolate lover or someone who obviously doesn't have tastebuds. Of course, of course, I have an opinion on all of those things (and more!
4 comments
Read more

I Was a Coward

I knew I needed to do it. I was too afraid to start.  I rehearsed the conversation in my head over and over, but still didn't know where to begin.  I had excuses:  They are too young.  They won't understand.  It doesn't directly affect them.  They don't have the historical perspective yet. But the truth is, I was afraid to tell my children about Charlottesville, because I was afraid to reveal to them the ugliness of humanity, the failure of my generation and their grandparents' generation to address social ills and instead to sweep them under the rug.  I was afraid to see my pain, confusion, sadness, guilt, and fear reflected in their innocent faces.  It was hard enough to address the inadvertent mispronunciation of the African country, Niger, by a classmate, and the loving, necessary correction of that mispronunciation by another of their friends, last year,  and the conversation about words the people use to steal the humanity away from other humans.  
4 comments
Read more

What's Essential

I love personality quizzes.   I recently became intrigued by the  Enneagram types , have been known to investigate my  Meyer-Briggs type , and even found out my  Hogwarts house .  You might think they are bologna or worthless, and you might be right.  But, I think they are insightful, reflective, thought-provoking, convicting, and frankly, fun.   I also love spiritual gift inventories, which I participated in during an adult study at church once upon a time, and in another study, some time later, I participated in a study about defining my faith.  Those things are life-changing, eye-opening, and somehow super comforting.  To be sitting in a place where you are really understanding what and why you believe what you do is incredibly peaceful, even when some of your answers are I don't know .  Furthermore, it allows you to more easily identify when or why those beliefs change.  I recommend taking that journey if you are offered it.   Faith Essentials Recently
Post a Comment
Read more