Happy Holidays
Christmas is upon us! As we wind up our Christmas 2015 shopping and prepare for food, fun, and gifts, I’ve started to do some thinking.
For a good portion of my childhood Christmas was about one thing…gifts…and lots of them. For as long as I can remember I always had two Christmases. Christmas in Tennessee with my Dad and Christmas in Texas with my Mom. And of course there were gifts from my maternal extended family. And like most kids would, I looked forward to Christmas lasting from December 25th to January 1st.
As I got older, I remembered Christmas as a time when my family, extended and all, was happiest. The holidays seemed to be filled with a special type of magic that made everybody kind and sane. Even those folks who maybe fought all year seemed to put all of that aside for a few weeks.
And here I am today. Jacob and I decided before our kids were born to limit Christmas gifts for our kids to one ‘big’ gift, a small toy, and pajamas. Our hope was that they would come to understand the real meaning of Christmas. You know…Jesus. But even typing that I have to laugh at myself.
You see in all my efforts to make sure my kids know ‘the reason for the season’ I’ve forgotten it myself. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Santa, gifts, or all the wonderful spirit that comes with this time of year; it’s still happening at the Bunkley Conpound.
But even if we didn’t have all those things, we’d still have Christ, and all He’s done, to celebrate. And that is more than enough and really, all we need.
Until next time…