Christmas is for Who?

We are into the swing of Christmas preparations – how are you coming on yours?  I admit I still have a LOT to do – especially since my husband and I are hosting a family Christmas in our home.   It’s the topic of conversation everywhere from the office to the grocery store.  I even mentioned it in last week’s blog!

One troubling thing I keep hearing during these conversations is that “Christmas is for the kids”.  I wholeheartedly disagree!  I enjoy Christmas more as an adult than I ever did as a child.

Certainly from a Christian perspective Christmas is for everyone.  The baby in the manger isn’t just for the 12 and under crowd.  Jesus is the savior for everyone.  But even if you aren’t a practicing Christian if you choose to celebrate Christmas there is still no reason to limit your joy simply because you can legally drive and purchase alcohol now (please don’t drink and drive!)

When you were a child did you really think about how lucky you were to get to hang out with your grandparents (if you were so lucky?).  Did you really appreciate the thought and care that went into preparing a meal or decorating a home?  Of course not – you didn’t have the cognitive skills yet.  All you could think about was getting stuff.  Whether you thought the stuff came from Santa, your parents, or whoever, the STUFF was all you really cared about.

As an adult, you have the gift of perspective.  That gift allows you to understand and truly appreciate passing down those cherished traditions your family has every year and to maybe start a few of your own.  That gift allows you to understand why your mom was always the last one to open her own gifts because she got so much happiness out of watching everyone else’s eyes light up when they tore off that paper.  That gift allows you to see how much more Christmas is that just STUFF.  And, hopefully, that gift allows you to teach the kids in your life these same lessons so they can enjoy a lifetime of Christmases of their own.