Hustle and Bustle

I'm sitting here getting ready to wrap Christmas gifts and I think "ugh, why didn't I start this earlier?" That thought led me to "it's interesting how everyone wants to get everything done early so they can relax and enjoy the holiday." My question is what does that really mean?

To me, the shopping and baking and cooking and wrapping and decorating IS enjoying the holidays! It's the hustle and bustle of it all that makes it so exciting. As we get older we tend to get cynical and "damn commercialism" about Christmas. Is it all a part of losing our innocence and naivety (thanks Uncle Lloyd for such a great word) with age? Am I saying that I have not fallen victim to this harsh cynicism myself? By no means! Christmas definitely loses some of that magic to it as we get older but so do a lot of things in life! If we happen to lose a tooth when we're 30 we're not going to be excited to find a quarter under our pillow - we'll complain about the dentist bill! When the power goes out for hours on end it's not eerie and mystical - it's annoying! We worry about spoiled food, not having any electricity to cook food, no heat, etc. We learn a sense of responsibility with age. The same goes for Christmas. It becomes more of a responsibility than an event to take part in. When we get married, have our own children, and our own homes, it falls on our shoulders to create the magic of Christmas.

So in the hustle and bustle of cooking and baking and cleaning and shopping and wrapping and hosting we should stop and think how all that we're doing is shaping Christmas in the eyes of the next generation. My chocolate peanut butter balls bring joy to my brothers, so I make them (as tedious as they are.) I wrap every single gift, even after a long hard day at work and proceeding to take care of my son. I do it because it fosters an atmosphere of contentment and warmth. It brings Christmas to my home.

And I enjoy it!