As I’m doing the last of Christmas preparations, I’m reminded of this conversation that I’ve had with many people over the years.
Them: Are you ready for Christmas?
Me: I’m never ready. It will come anyway.
Even though my personality tends toward being organized I tend to procrastinate and end up doing more than I want at the last minute. I don’t know how many times Mike and I were shopping on Christmas Eve. In the last several years I have tended to shop online and I either have to pay for rush shipping and/or pray that gifts will get here on time.
It’s Christmas Eve day and I have a lot left to do. Will it get done? I don’t know. Will Christmas be perfect? It never is. The problem is in our expectations. We may have had families that had huge gatherings where everyone got along. Or this may have been what we had in our imagination. Or we remember it being better than it really was.
Whatever the case may be those family gatherings weren’t perfect for everyone. There was probably someone who felt they couldn’t speak their truth. There was probably someone who was exhausted because they had pushed hard to get everything ready. There was probably someone who didn’t come for whatever reason that was disappointing to someone there.
In 2020 there may be a whole new kind of disappointment. We are being encouraged to stay home. We certainly don’t want to expose our immune-compromised loved ones to this virus even if we can see them. There are many who have been lost due to the pandemic and others who are sick or scared to go out. It’s going to be a rough year for many of us.
For me my house won’t be perfect – it never is. My whole family won’t be here – It’s been many years since we’ve all been together. I’m not going to stress over a perfect meal. It won’t look anything like I expected. I will enjoy the family I have here, especially the grandkids.
So, my Christmas message is: Christmas will come anyway, the New Year will come anyway. There is no stopping them. Enjoy your day whatever it may look like and be reminded of the blessings around you. I know I will.
Oh Holy Night sung by Josh Groban
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Onward!
