For many years I’ve not been at all excited about Christmas. We have a whole passel of grand kids and had no money to buy them anything. Then Mr. C started chemo a day before Christmas Eve a few years ago and that made my Christmas Grinch come out even more. But this year I’m thinking of Christmas with a renewed happiness and hopefulness. This year I am thinking of Christmas as a post-ghosts Ebenezer Scrooge!
You’re no doubt thinking that I shouldn’t have let gifts dictate how I felt about Christmas. In the most important ways it didn’t. We still celebrated the birth of Jesus and had lovely dinners and good times with friends and family. But with little grandchildren and even our grown kids, it was hard not to be able to give them things they really wanted.
But this year I can buy gifts for the people I love! I get to experience the happiness on their faces as they unwrap the boxes and peer inside! Of course Lexie will probably eat the wrapping paper or at least try then play with the boxes but that’s fine, too. Whatever makes them happy!
My overly ambitious daughter-in-law wanted to have a huge Christmas party
for the family but (thank you, Lord) on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day her side of the family splits up into their immediate family groups. Our daughter, son-in-law, and oldest grandson will be spending Christmas Eve with our son-in-law’s family. It will just be the people who live in this house actually in the house for Christmas Eve. Ahhh….quiet. Or as quiet as Christmas Eve with a 10-year-old and a 7 month old can be.
This year I’m putting up a tree for the first time since the year before Mr. C got sick. I’m hauling out my old Christmas village and Nativities. I have more than one. I may even go Christmas crazy and hang some lights down here. Who knows? I’m going where the Christmas spirit leads me!
Thinking of Christmas this year has brought back memories of Christmas when I was a kid and when I was a young mother. I’ve remembered the excitement of shopping, wrapping gifts, cooking huge meals, and playing games with family. I thought of the music and the lights. Thinking of Christmas this year has made me recall that I always loved the season and, for too long I lost that. So I’m going to haul out my Christmas cd’s and put a wreath on the door. It’s Christmas and it’s going to be wonderful!
Images via Pinterest and Good Housekeeping
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The Comfortable Coop 
It’s a woderful time of year. Getting bogged down in the commerce of it all is what steals the joy of it. What a bkessin your back to the basics, the fellowship, and family 🙂 I’m thinking I won’t put up a tree this year. But I also say that every year, and it finds it’s way up hahaha 🙂
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* I meant blessing. As you can read, I still type amd hit send before proofreading 🙂
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I never proof-read my texts. It keeps my family guessing if it’s just me being me or if I’ve had a stroke! 🙂
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Hahaha
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I want lights and a tree and good food and games! I may even buy a couple of board games for the family! Ho Ho Ho
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Enjoy that lovely Christmas spirit!🎄❤️
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Thank you! I think I’ll bake lots of cookies this year to give to friends and the food bank. They saved our rumps long enough!
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I’m pleased you have regained the Christmas spirit. My Dad died on Christmas Day 1987 – it has added to the specialness
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Thank you, Derrick. I understand how your dad passing away would make it even more special. I had my mother-in-law buried on my birthday because I always wanted everyone to remember her passing. And she died the night before Mr. C’s birthday.
With Mr C starting chemo on December 23rd a few years ago and the financial crisis I was not a happy elf. But I’m a bit upset with myself to have let circumstances ruin the holiday for me for so long.
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🙂
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