I'm not ashamed to admit that Christmas isn't one of my favorite holidays. This year with my injury I was sure it was going to be the absolute worst one on record. Hell I wasn't even going to be able to tackle cooking turkey dinner this year. Yet somehow, despite my short comings, this ended up being one of the best I can remember.
My family near and far banded together to make the season bright, and even though our tree was feeling the reality of me not working somehow the girls were so excited with the gifts they did receive that not once did I hear the dreaded "is that it?". Through the help of a family member my fridge was overflowing.
And that turkey dinner I was so worried about? It turned into the perfect blend of my Mom's old recipes and the ones that my Dad learned from his Mom. While I couldn't help with the preparations, my Dad (by a miracle of great proportions) was happy to have me in the kitchen giving him pointers and passing on my knowledge. The end result was the absolute most delicious dinner ever.
When crunch time arrived everyone jumped into high gear to get things on the table. I directed the action, with my girls setting the table, dishing out cranberries and even pouring the drinks (non-alcoholic of course as none of us adults drink). My Dad amazed me with his ease in the kitchen, and he may very well be the mashed potato king!
Yes, this has been a rough month, but yet this was the very best Christmas I can remember. The joy that my family brings me is beyond words. We proved that Christmas is about the people you spend it with, and the joy you have together than the number of presents under the tree or how much money you spend.
Christmas is so commercialized these days that I think we've gotten away from the true meaning of the holidays. Christmas is about the people and the memories, not the stuff. Stuff that ends up in the landfill in record time.
A couple days before Christmas I saw a tweet about how many presents under the tree, and the correlation with behavior leading up to Christmas. I disagree wholeheartedly. I refuse to blackmail my children into behaving to get stuff. It is my expectation that my girls behave all year round, not just in the months leading up to the big day. At 6 and 8 my girls are two of the most amazing people I know. They are compassionate, caring and understanding when they don't get their way. They have their (age appropriate) chores, and they do them. My children will not be adults dependent on Mom to do their laundry. Sure, they have their moments where I want to pretend that I don't know them, but idle threats about a man in a red suit isn't going to fix that. Love, compassion and understanding is the key. Hugs, kisses, telling them how much I love them and getting down on their level is the route I choose. You have to admit that come January the threat of Santa falls flat fast.
Happy Holidays everyone and best wishes for a marvelous New Year!
No comments:
Post a Comment