The Daily Balance

As the Christmas (and Hanukkah) season is upon us, I think it is important to keep Christmas in our hearts throughout the season, and not just the actual day. That being said — wouldn’t it be nice to keep the spirit of the season alive ALL YEAR?

But instead of getting ahead of myself and trying to orchestrate what would probably be a fairly large undertaking, I figured it might be easier to have a few moments of reflection as we head into the holiday season.

This Christmas, I am thankful…

that picking out the perfect gift for friends and family truly gives me joy and satisfaction. I think I’ve mentioned this before – but I am a rockstar gift giver — seriously.

for old family holiday traditions like meatless Christmas Eve dinners.

for the new holiday traditions that The Mister and I are creating together – like Christmas cookie decorating and holiday adventures.

that listening to Ann Murray and Luther Vandross brings me back to dancing in the living room with Mom and will serve as the soundtrack for my kids’ Christmas season one day, as well.

that watching the Nutcracker still makes me feel like a Sugar Plum Fairy.

that I have the privilege in leading everyone in song – as I cantor Christmas Eve mass every year.

for Santa – because you are never too old to stop believing.

for Christmas movies like Elf, Love Actually, The Grinch (old school version), Frosty, The Santa Clause and ChristmasVacation – because it doesn’t get any better curling up in your pjs with hot cocoa and watching Christmas flicks.

for radio stations that play Christmas music all.day.long. God bless the Mister for letting them rule our radio airwaves

that I still cry every time I hear the song “The Christmas Shoes.”

for my Mister, who does everything he can to ensure all my Christmas ideas and activities come to fruition.

for my parents, who instilled in me the true meaning of Christmas and always did everything they could to make the season special for my brother and I. (even when we woke them up at 5am to open presents)

(and without getting to religious on you…) for Jesus – because without him, there wouldn’t be a Christmas to celebrate.

What will you be thankful for this Christmas (or Hanukkah!)?

Tags: inspiration, reflection, Thankful

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 11:27 am and is filed under Thankful. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.