Christmas is around the corner

 

As is typical for me in this point of the season….I have very little of my shopping done.  That which I do have done is only by pure luck of being in a store picking something up and noticing a gift that would be perfect for someone, like in the bookstore I found all my nieces and nephews gifts.  

 

I am one of those shoppers that is found running around on Christmas Eve because I still have a majority of my shopping to do.   Horrible I know.  I think that my problem is that I would rather concentrate on the meaning of the season than worry about shopping.  The other two reasons include the fact that I really don't enjoy shopping in the first place and I abhor wrapping (Holly, you may have to help me out this year so I don't end up throwing presents in bags and calling it good).   Maybe that is why all the charities that you give to this time of the year (Toys for Tots, Salvation Army, Giving Tree, Military Gift Tree, ect.) do not place the requirement of gift wrapping as they once did.   It makes it extremely convenient for people such as myself to just drop unwrapped gifts into donation bins after shopping.  I am sure they have benefited.

 

However this season I am not going to have the luxury of running around on Christmas Eve or even Christmas Adam.   I will not have a car that will be readily available to me since I am flying home this year.  I will be at the mercy of my parents.  Wow, it has been an extremely long time since that has been the case….I think I was 15 the last time that happened.   Not to mention that it will just be my parents, one of my little sisters and me at home this year.  Everyone else will be at the in-laws house.   I am not quite sure how I will handle that either.  Going from our usual 20 (soon to be 22 since my sister is due in May and my sister-in-law is due in June) down to 4 is going to be lonely.   Maybe it will be nice not to be up before the butt-crack of dawn on Christmas morning will be nice.  I will try to look at it in a positive light.   Let's see I won't have to be up at 4:00 in the morning, but that means that I won't have 7 little nieces and nephews running around excited about what Santa brought them and begging me to sit on the floor and play with all their new toys with them.   I will get to sit and read my book peacefully, but that means that I won't have brothers tormenting me by sticking their fingers in my ears.  It won't be the same.    

 

Well the snow is falling outside and Christmas is slowly getting ready to make an appearance.  Shopping is still left to do, but I have enjoyed the lights, friends, parties and hot chocolate and there is more to come.   I pray that everyone will pause for a moment and breathe in the essence of the true meaning of Christmas.

 

Merry Christmas!!