NOW it gets busy...oh wait...nevermind I'm never NOT busy
Ya know...I love the holidays. From frigging Halloween I start thinking about Christmas. What am I gonna get Deb? What's Deb gonna get me? What's my parents gonna get me? What's my sister gonna get me? What's my friends gonna get me? You get the idea...
Seriously though...I do love this time of year. Yeah it's busy. I remember back the first week of November and going through the calander and seeing what each weekend consisted of. We had PRETTY MUCH every weekend but 1 mapped out till the end of the year. When you're sitting and looking at 12 weeks of plans you start to get a little overwhelmed I think...I know I did.
So here we are...10 days out. My last ten days in my early 30's...from here on in it's a race to 40 and for the life of me I can't imagine my life any different. This week alone I had a meeting last night, tonight is a meeting with Deb to see where we're at with Christmas, tomorrow is actually open, Thursday is Men's group and Friday is (for the first time NOT the radio) hanging with friends, Saturday is no less than 2 Christmases and a rehearsal and Sunday is church and then probably some last minute shopping. Next Monday is probably a home PC job, Tuesday is open, Weds is last minute shopping, Thursday is Christmas Eve and Friday I'm 36 and we go to everybody's house. It's maddening sometimes.
During this hustle and bustle when are we supposed to stop and think about the reason for this season? When do you stop and ponder what Christmas means? For me it means celebrating the birth of my savior...of knowing what he did for me. However the cool thing about Christmas is...it's not JUST that. It also means family. It means getting together this Saturday at my Aunt's house. Seeing all of my cousins who growing up were probably the only friends I felt I had (I've written how wrong I was on THAT one before)...seeing their kids enjoying this new tradition and I think for us older kids/adults...it means remembering what it USED to be till 18 years ago. How my Grandmother would fill her home with warmth and family. How we'd shoehorn sometimes 50 people into a small house on Hampton Blvd. I think sometimes every year spending Christmas with the family like that...we're trying to hold onto something and that's a good thing. No it can NEVER again be like those times...but I sometimes get a little sad that we don't do the big Thanksgivings anymore...I can't imagine what it would be to lose this too. I love my family. Every single one of them...even the ones who annoy the living DAYLIGHTS out of me. They helped make me who I am...and for that I can't help but WANT to be around them at LEAST this time of year. It'll be chaos, and loud and someone will be a jerk, and someone else will scare the children with a boisterous voice...but who cares? We're family and sometimes I think we forget that.
Christmas also means for me NOW going to three stops on the 25th...and griping about it the ENTIRE week before (though secretly loving it...yeah it's tough cause you're 'runnin and gunnin' but after 8 years...I'm ok with it). Starting the day with my wife's family and opening presents and eating. Then taking 45 minutes to pack up the truck cause my in-laws went overboard (again), piling in and then going straight to Mom's. Spending the day laughing and just enjoying time. (Having opened presents on Christmas Eve). Eventually eating some Turkey and then Mom brings out the cake and my birthday starts. After cake we rush out and go (usually though not this year...we go to Mom's this year) to Deb's Aunt Jean's to have dessert (again) and open some presents from her cousins. Yeah it's tough to run and gun like that. I'd give anything to host Christmas for ALL our family to have one stop shopping and perhaps when we get a bigger place I may pull for that. It IS my birthday after all.
Christmas also means celebrating that too. Being born on December 25...I remember being a kid and feeling all special about that. I got to share my birthday with (when we celebrate) Jesus. Growing up my cakes always said "Happy Birthday Billy and Jesus" (we gave him top billing...I mean he DID save the world)...and as a kid it was usually one of the first things I would bring up as an 'ice-breaker' when meeting new people...(not that they cared...but if you knew me back then...I lacked in what you might call 'da social skillz'). I thought it made me special...and it did in a way. However as I got older I realized that it's not that big a deal (for me anyway). In some ways it's an annoyance. Sure it means that we ALWAYS make sure to spend the bulk of Christmas at Mom's...mainly because I feel I took Christmas away 36 years ago...least I can do is always be home that day...but it's tough because sometimes I feel like I'm put in front of Deb on that day. Like I said above...Christmas is about Jesus FIRST and MAINLY...but for me it's also about family. However when it's birthday time...that's an acknowlegement of me. It makes me sometimes uncomfortable. Some say I should celebrate my birthday on June 25 or some other time...but to me that always seemed like a 'gift grab' move. Having a party and cake infers bringing a gift. Doing it in the summer means (at least to me) that you're saying "We know it's inconvenient for you to come to our house and shower Will with presents on his birthday...so we rescheduled it to a more convenient time. I'm registered at Target and want the Red Rider BB Gun". I don't want that. I'm not anyone special...I'm just a guy.
SO as I ponder Christmas...and the busy-ness of the season...I get back to what I was originally asking. How can I stop and slow down and think? Jesus DIED for my sins...and he couldn't die unless he was born. That's what Christmas is. The family aspect COMES from that act of love he performed. I really do love my family, and even my in-laws. Family is so important to me. I encourage you to take a few minutes every day these last 10 days to ponder what Christmas is to you. I know some of my friends don't believe in Jesus and think of Christmas as a secular holiday...to them I encourage you to look at ALL angles...and ponder WHY then is this time of year so special? To my believing friends...look into your hearts and remember what He did on that cross for us...all started when He was born in that cave. Maybe everyone should have a birthday cake on Christmas saying Happy Birthday Jesus...and hey...if you wanna throw a 'Will &' in front of it...go to town.
Thanks for reading;
Seriously though...I do love this time of year. Yeah it's busy. I remember back the first week of November and going through the calander and seeing what each weekend consisted of. We had PRETTY MUCH every weekend but 1 mapped out till the end of the year. When you're sitting and looking at 12 weeks of plans you start to get a little overwhelmed I think...I know I did.
So here we are...10 days out. My last ten days in my early 30's...from here on in it's a race to 40 and for the life of me I can't imagine my life any different. This week alone I had a meeting last night, tonight is a meeting with Deb to see where we're at with Christmas, tomorrow is actually open, Thursday is Men's group and Friday is (for the first time NOT the radio) hanging with friends, Saturday is no less than 2 Christmases and a rehearsal and Sunday is church and then probably some last minute shopping. Next Monday is probably a home PC job, Tuesday is open, Weds is last minute shopping, Thursday is Christmas Eve and Friday I'm 36 and we go to everybody's house. It's maddening sometimes.
During this hustle and bustle when are we supposed to stop and think about the reason for this season? When do you stop and ponder what Christmas means? For me it means celebrating the birth of my savior...of knowing what he did for me. However the cool thing about Christmas is...it's not JUST that. It also means family. It means getting together this Saturday at my Aunt's house. Seeing all of my cousins who growing up were probably the only friends I felt I had (I've written how wrong I was on THAT one before)...seeing their kids enjoying this new tradition and I think for us older kids/adults...it means remembering what it USED to be till 18 years ago. How my Grandmother would fill her home with warmth and family. How we'd shoehorn sometimes 50 people into a small house on Hampton Blvd. I think sometimes every year spending Christmas with the family like that...we're trying to hold onto something and that's a good thing. No it can NEVER again be like those times...but I sometimes get a little sad that we don't do the big Thanksgivings anymore...I can't imagine what it would be to lose this too. I love my family. Every single one of them...even the ones who annoy the living DAYLIGHTS out of me. They helped make me who I am...and for that I can't help but WANT to be around them at LEAST this time of year. It'll be chaos, and loud and someone will be a jerk, and someone else will scare the children with a boisterous voice...but who cares? We're family and sometimes I think we forget that.
Christmas also means for me NOW going to three stops on the 25th...and griping about it the ENTIRE week before (though secretly loving it...yeah it's tough cause you're 'runnin and gunnin' but after 8 years...I'm ok with it). Starting the day with my wife's family and opening presents and eating. Then taking 45 minutes to pack up the truck cause my in-laws went overboard (again), piling in and then going straight to Mom's. Spending the day laughing and just enjoying time. (Having opened presents on Christmas Eve). Eventually eating some Turkey and then Mom brings out the cake and my birthday starts. After cake we rush out and go (usually though not this year...we go to Mom's this year) to Deb's Aunt Jean's to have dessert (again) and open some presents from her cousins. Yeah it's tough to run and gun like that. I'd give anything to host Christmas for ALL our family to have one stop shopping and perhaps when we get a bigger place I may pull for that. It IS my birthday after all.
Christmas also means celebrating that too. Being born on December 25...I remember being a kid and feeling all special about that. I got to share my birthday with (when we celebrate) Jesus. Growing up my cakes always said "Happy Birthday Billy and Jesus" (we gave him top billing...I mean he DID save the world)...and as a kid it was usually one of the first things I would bring up as an 'ice-breaker' when meeting new people...(not that they cared...but if you knew me back then...I lacked in what you might call 'da social skillz'). I thought it made me special...and it did in a way. However as I got older I realized that it's not that big a deal (for me anyway). In some ways it's an annoyance. Sure it means that we ALWAYS make sure to spend the bulk of Christmas at Mom's...mainly because I feel I took Christmas away 36 years ago...least I can do is always be home that day...but it's tough because sometimes I feel like I'm put in front of Deb on that day. Like I said above...Christmas is about Jesus FIRST and MAINLY...but for me it's also about family. However when it's birthday time...that's an acknowlegement of me. It makes me sometimes uncomfortable. Some say I should celebrate my birthday on June 25 or some other time...but to me that always seemed like a 'gift grab' move. Having a party and cake infers bringing a gift. Doing it in the summer means (at least to me) that you're saying "We know it's inconvenient for you to come to our house and shower Will with presents on his birthday...so we rescheduled it to a more convenient time. I'm registered at Target and want the Red Rider BB Gun". I don't want that. I'm not anyone special...I'm just a guy.
SO as I ponder Christmas...and the busy-ness of the season...I get back to what I was originally asking. How can I stop and slow down and think? Jesus DIED for my sins...and he couldn't die unless he was born. That's what Christmas is. The family aspect COMES from that act of love he performed. I really do love my family, and even my in-laws. Family is so important to me. I encourage you to take a few minutes every day these last 10 days to ponder what Christmas is to you. I know some of my friends don't believe in Jesus and think of Christmas as a secular holiday...to them I encourage you to look at ALL angles...and ponder WHY then is this time of year so special? To my believing friends...look into your hearts and remember what He did on that cross for us...all started when He was born in that cave. Maybe everyone should have a birthday cake on Christmas saying Happy Birthday Jesus...and hey...if you wanna throw a 'Will &' in front of it...go to town.
Thanks for reading;
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