Merry Christmas

What a wonderful day to celebrate the birth of Jesus! I hope everyone had a great day. Things were quiet here at the cabin. Most Decembers are a bit lean in the money department. That seems to be the nature of the business. But things generally pick up in January and carry on through until October without much problem. So, we don't get too crazy where holiday commercialism is concerned. By the time the income starts flowing again, the temptation to impulse shop has pretty much past and common sense prevails. So, the tradition of opening alot of presents on Christmas morning hasn't been observed in quite a number of years here. For a long time, this has really stolen our Christmas "joy". Everything in our society proclaims that Christmas isn't Christmas without the bags, boxes, and arm-loads of presents.
The season started off with the usual holiday dread; but something happened along the way. After watching the movie The Nativity Story that I mentioned previously, the real reason for Christmas really thumped me between the eyes. Presents are nice, but that's not what Christmas is all about. The pressure started easing almost immediately. We explained the situation to all the kids, I made up some special treats for the grand kids and a few for the adults, and we just spent time enjoying family and the tremendous blessings that God has given us. Yesterday, the Mountain Man and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary by having home-made pizza and everyone gathering around for a movie night. Today, after lots of phone calls to family, I joined my happy crew for a day of games, treats, and laughter. We had leftover pizza for breakfast, which was quickly followed by a slice of pecan pie for dessert. Lunch was skipped because we couldn't hold another bite and the domino game was just too intense. By 5 o'clock, honey and I were on our way to town for chips & dip while Meja was making her famous lasagna. This meal is no small event. It takes hours to prepare and it is about the best food you could put in your mouth. This is always a special meal, but it was made even more so because it was her Christmas gift to me. (I've got the greatest kids in the world!)
The meal was wonderful the domino games afterward were a little wild, and the laughter was priceless.
God has really taught me a new lesson this year. Maybe He has been trying for awhile now, but I think it sunk in this time. The very best thing we can do to ensure a merry Christmas is to throw the TV right out the door.
Well, that's my little nugget of wisdom for the day. I figured if I jotted it down, then I can find it again next year to remind me of the simple joy the Christmas has given each of us.

May the Lord bless you & Merry Christmas!