Monday, December 21, 2015

Holiday season reflections

The end of the year is often a time of reflection. We think about those we love as we try to determine what would be a perfect present. We attend holiday parties-and try not to gain too much weight as we enjoy holiday treats. Many of us spend time considering what we have accomplished and what we plan for the upcoming year.

How did I do? Well, I continued to write and finished two books and have much done on a couple more. Did I finish all I hoped? No, not even close, but I truly enjoyed the journey.

We managed to accomplish a few things around the house. i am pleased at those and excited for some remodeling that is coming soon. Once again, not everything got accomplished, but progress was made.

I offer a great deal of service at church. I am doing the best I can, but as in other areas of my life, I cannot do all I would like. However, I am pleased at the effort and growth. Service offers much opportunity to grow.

I taught a lesson at the beginning of this month about examining our lives and finding areas in which we can simplify. for us this year, I chose not to send out Christmas cards to people who are also friends on Facebook. Although I love cards, trying to get them done can get stressful. So, we sent very few this year.

Holiday traditions can become overwhelming. For years, we have received new sleepware on Christmas Eve. However, we both have all that we need. So now, we simply wrap something we already have and open that on Christmas Eve. We've modified the tradition to fit our current situation.

Some years, we try to visit many family members. Other years, we stay home or visit only one. This year, we are doing some visiting, but we are keeping the visits short. It is not that we do not want to see everyone, we are simply trying to simplify our lives.

I see people complaining about the commercialization of Christmas and the need to put Christ back into Christmas. This is not a new complaint. Since the Catholic church co-opted the pagan solstice celebrations, Christmas celebrations have been only peripherally been about worship. They started as big parties and continue in that tradition. This tradition is why the Puritans banned the celebration-it wasn't about worship at all. The secular tradition is an important to the history of Christmas as the religious is. Given the dichotomy of our world, that is probably as it should be.

Any celebration that causes us to reflect on the blessings in our lives is truly reason to celebrate. I love Christmas music and am grateful that every year, more is written and performed. I love it, from medieval to modern, classical to big band to rock and almost everything in between. For me, it is an affirmation of my belief in a Savior and the hope that brings for the future. However, I also appreciate the other seasonal celebrations as well. 

I love that we can celebrate Thanksgiving as a prelude to a holiday which causes me to feel so well-blessed. Life is a wonderful blessing, even with all of its challenges, messiness, and difficulties. At this season, I am grateful to look back on the journey as I plan for where I would like to head in the coming year. I plan to finalize a few resolutions to work on in the coming year before the end of the month. I do this each year as I take stock, but do not limit my ability to make changes in my life only to this changing of year. As I see an opportunity to make a change, I try to start then. Resolutions to me are goals that help me see the direction I would like to take.

I hope your holiday season is full of love and fun and that 2016 is your best year yet.
 

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