Wow! December!

I wrote this post and meant to get back to it, clean it up and post it. I’m finally getting to it today. 

 

December 12, 2014

Bah! Humbug!

         Well that’s how I feel this Christmas season. Merry Christmas I hate people.  Somewhere along the way I lost my Christmas spirit.  A friend tells me I’m too nice to hate people.  So have I fooled her? We’ve known each other since we were about 5 years old.  Or am I trying to convince myself that I don’t like my fellow humans?  Probably it’s the latter and I’m trying to shield myself from any further demands on my time and energy.  After all, it’s easier to simply say I don’t like anyone than to admit to myself that I need time for me.  I’m so caught up in my to-do list that I forgot to put the most important thing on it—taking care of Sue.  It’s a mistake many of us make, I think.  We get so busy trying to do the extra things that will show others how much we wish them to be happy along with all our regular tasks that we forget to show ourselves how much we care about that for ourselves. Sometimes God has to send us gentle reminders.  I received several messages from friends asking if we can meet some evening and some Christmas cards in the mail with personal notes written inside that made me stop and think.  So now that I have realized the root of my humbug attitude I will attend to it.  I’ll continue to work on my to do list, but I’ll make sure there is time for me to do something I like each day.  I’ll meet with a friend, go to a cookie party, and make time to read and write.  After all, nobody around me is going to have a merry time if I am a Grinchy Scrooge.  Please remember to take care of yourself and make time for what keeps you feeling the Christmas spirit.

December 20, 2014

**A continuation of the theme above, again started but not finished and posted**

There are other things that help get me into the Christmas spirit.  Giving to others is one of my favorite ways, but sometimes I get so bogged down in the logistics that it becomes a chore.  I sent out several packages to relatives, and I was not sure how I could possibly get them mailed in time for a Christmas arrival.  My wonderful husband offered to help and working together one evening we got the boxes packed and ready for mailing which I did the following day after work.  It felt really good to get that done, and I like to imagine how surprised the recipients will be.  I took time out of one day to stop by Hillary’s day program for their Christmas party and was in time to see Santa come, their karaoke of holiday tunes and witness the miracle of one of the participants reciting the whole “T’was The Night Before Christmas” poem.  Many of the participants have no speech, but this woman does.  From her wheelchair she spoke with slightly slurred words the entire piece, which I have trouble remembering on a good day.  I don’t know what all her challenges are, nor her age, but it was wonderful.  The Christmas spirit began to burn in me at that party.

          I had purchased a toy to donate to the “Toys for Tots” campaign but then missed the deadline for donations.  As I was beating myself up over that I scanned Facebook absentmindedly and right there in front of me was a request from an in-town acquaintance for donations to help a local single mother with 3 small children who didn’t know she could have signed up to be included on one of our town’s “Christmas Angel” trees and so was facing Christmas with no gifts for her children and no money to purchase any.  Suddenly I felt much better about having missed that deadline. My toy was picked up the next morning to be added to the other donations for that little family. The Christmas spirit now burns warmly within me.

December 27, 2014   

         Christmas Day has come and gone and finally I’m getting around to blogging. I’m squeezing it in between catching up on laundry, cleaning, and caring for Hillary who has been ill for almost a week now with a fever, cough, and congestion.  She didn’t enjoy any of Christmas as she was feeling so ill and even now isn’t her usual self.  As luck would have it, her doctor’s office has taken a long weekend for the holiday.  I could have paged whoever is on call, or taken Hillary to the emergency room or an urgent care but we decided that we will do what we can to monitor her and keep her comfortable. She is showing signs of improvement so we are encouraged and not as worried as we were. Even with her illness hanging over us we had a lovely Christmas Day with family and have enjoyed our time off after.  Next holiday: New Year’s Eve and Day!