Are you ready for the holidays?

I don’t know about you, but for me, this holiday season has been flying by. With our move at the end of October and the subsequent organizing and decluttering, I have felt like we were barely able to celebrate Thanksgiving, and then Christmas was here. I think this was the first year that I noticed Christmas decorations out even before Thanksgiving. I understand this as there is not nearly enough time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, especially for those of us that love the Christmas holiday!

Shortly after Thanksgiving weekend, my husband and I caught the cold and flu, and this year, it was worse than ever before. I don’t ever recall having such a bad sore throat. The next day I lost my voice, which lasted a good five days. Some might say that that may be a good thing. LOL. 

Anyway, while I was ill, I took the opportunity to binge-watch Christmas movies. I figured, why not, I’m sick and have no voice, and, just maybe, it will get me in the Christmas spirit. I’ve always loved the classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol and of course, Home Alone (But, only the first one). And, of course, what woman does not like the Hallmark movies. LOL. One thing about Hallmark, is that you can most always count on them to have a predictable happy ending. Typically I welcome (and hope for) a happy ending, but for some reason this year the Hallmark movies, and many of the other Christmas shows became a little tiring for me. This was quite odd for me, as I am usually a sucker for rom-coms, stories of “overcoming the odds,” and especially Christmas shows.

The peculiar thing is that even after watching all the stories of family, love and togetherness, infused with the Christmas spirit, it didn’t evoke a “joy of Christmas” in me, nor did it boost my Christmas spirit. 

My husband and I even got some of our favorite eggnog from Trader Joe’s and although it was super tasty, it didn’t get me in the holiday mood.

All of this troubled me a bit so I began to think more about it. I kept asking myself and praying about why I was not experiencing any Christmas joy or excitement, even after the movies and the eggnog. Why didn’t I want to get a tree and decorate our house, like we usually do? Certainly, the tiredness of the move, not to mention the recent sickness, could definitely contribute to the low Christmas spirit.

As I began to think more about it, a saying popped into my head “Jesus is the reason for the season.” As a Christian, I have heard this saying numerous times and I truly believe that Christmas is centered around the birth of Christ. However, I can also get caught up in the lights and decorations, the festive foods and drinks, gift giving, and of course, the Christmas movies.

Ironically, last Sunday our pastor talked about getting ready for the holidays. What he reminded us of was how profound the event of Christmas truly is. How the God of the universe loved mankind so much that He sent His son to take on human form. His ultimate goal being salvation, through His Son and Him alone. 

As I pondered this a bit more, my heart started to become filled with an inner peace and joy that is hard to explain. I felt a surge of thankfulness and happiness rise up in me. Because of this day we call Christmas, I can have peace in my heart and peace toward others. For me, this is something to truly celebrate!

Moral of the story: If you’re struggling this holiday season with a lack of joy or are beyond exhausted with life, it may be a good time to consider the true meaning of Christmas.