Announcement: Christmas has been Postponed!
“Are we on for Christmas!?” has been the question of the week.
My family and friends have been in touch this week via phone and email, keeping tabs on who has how much snow, and who is (and isn’t) mobile, assessing road conditions, comparing weather reports, measuring safety against tradition.
With a foot of snow, my parents cancelled their anticipated holiday trip, inviting neighbors to dinner instead. Friends are “hunkering down” in their homes and travelling my foot to stores and even work. Fearing getting stranded with no power in my rural Carnation house through the storms, I was picked up by my boyfriend several days ago and relocated to nearby Duvall. (Then we got hit with the next snow storm, totalling 19 inches of snow!)
This picture was taken BEFORE the last two snowstorms...
I live on a rather large hill, and have not felt that I could safely get out to even get a Christmas tree this week. (We decorated the porch instead.) Some of us have not been able to drive – or Christmas shop – for days. (This is a minor tragedy for those who always “save their shopping” for the last minute!)
Minor tragedies, major inconveniences, or perhaps… just an opportunity to just do Christmas a little differently this year.
With a few more inches of snow last night for some, we made the decision to “postpone” our Christmas gathering and dinner.
Postpone Christmas!?
Well, December 25th will arrive right on time, there is no doubt about that. But the anticipated gathering at my daughter’s godparents will happen sometime after December 25th, when roads are clear.
My daughter sounded a bit disappointed that our plans are being shifted. But she had a wonderful suggestion…
“Can we have a Mother-Daughter Day?”
Ah, that sounds exactly like Christmas… spending time with my favorite loved one! Perhaps watching our DVD of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and cooking an ordinary dinner. Just as George Bailey, Ebenezer Scrooge, and yes, even the Grinch discovered, the Christmas Spirit is found in the love all around us.
I also believe it’s the love within us that represents our greatest Christmas gift.
The thought of showing up at a friend’s or relative’s without my customary gift makes me feel a bit sheepish. (Though many people are preferring not to exchange gifts this year, a welcome respite for many from the consumer tradition.)
But think about it – do you look forward to seeing your family and friends on Christmas because of the gifts that they bring, or because of the GIFT that they ARE!?
With all due respect to Santa Claus, the biggest gifts we can give this or any season do not come in wrapping paper. Bring joy, peace, and goodwill in your sleigh, and you will be a welcome visitor anytime of year.
And if you’re Christmas has “gone all to hell” due to bad weather, cancelled flights, and other changes, now is a perfect time to celebrate the gift that YOU are. Make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, let go of your expectations of how Christmas “should” be.
I agree completely with Louise Hay, our power is to be found in the present moment. And I believe that the quality of our life is controlled by our thoughts and emotions moreso than our circumstances. Dr. Sue Morter puts it beautifully:
“We may not be able to control our environment, but we can master our experience.”
You might not be able to change the weather, clear the roads, or enjoy the holiday that you planned, expected, or hoped for. But you can create a new one, right now. What do you need to do to have the best Christmas possible? What IS in your control? Perhaps you can bake for a neighbor, volunteer at a local soup kitchen or organization, write a gratitude list, or read that book you’ve been just waiting for a day off to get to.
Go ahead… make your day!
And after you do, let me know about it! (Comments are always welcome.)
As for me, I think I’m giving up the idea of a big Christmas dinner and celebration, and devising something much simpler, but just as satisfying. (And I know it will be just as satisfying because, after all, who gets to say how perfect it was except for me!?)
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and Holy Days to all!
You can always celebrate “Little Christmas”, January 6, the day supposedly the Three Kings reached the Stable and the 12th Day Of Christmas.
For us, that’s what we might do. Snow precluded a lot of income earning opportunities as well so we couldn’t have gone shopping even if we could have gotten out and I think there are lots of people in that boat, too.
One of the things about “Christmas” is the warmth and joy and that can be any day of the year.