It's all worth it.
The choosing of very special gifts for the ones I love.
Even the wrapping of them, which I loathe.
The cookie making and decorating.
The homemade goodies we deliver to the neighbors.
All the cleaning about to be done before the big day and before company arrives.
The money spent, the extra effort put in, the gift of kindness... even if it is never returned or never acknowledged.
Listening to the same songs over and over again, all those old Christmas classics that the kids need to know.
Santa. Whether we believe in him or not.
All those Elves getting into trouble. Whether we have one or not.
Jesus. First and foremost, always. Whether or not the whole world celebrates Him, we celebrate Him here.
And Hanukkah. And Kwanzaa. Even though these are not our holidays, it is okay to offer a wish for those who do to have a Happy Holiday.
Love. Kindness. Humility.
Those three things I see in the Baby Jesus, meek and mild, lying in a feeding trough when he should be sitting on His throne in heaven. He cast off his rights. He denied himself. He gave the ultimate gift that none of us deserved, that many will never accept or never acknowledge, He lavished his love upon us that we might become children of God...
This leaves me feeling, knowing, that it is okay to lavish love and joy and kindness on my own children and those around me.
All the extras of this season are worth it.
Costly sometimes. And I'm not just talking money. I'm talking time. Forgiveness. Grace. Letting go of my plans and my ideas of how things should be.
It really should be a Merry, Merry Christmas and a season of Happy Holidays.
Now, time to clean. Time to cook. Time to enjoy the snow softly falling before the rain storm tomorrow. Time to celebrate.
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