Oh Christmas...........

Right now my heart is thumping faster than my fingers can fly across the keys. It may have something to do with the fact I’m OBSESSED with ‘Christmas in a Cup’ (peppermint white mochas) and have more than my share of caffeine every day, or perhaps it’s just making my issues worse. The problem? The fact I’m in love with Christmas – yet why is there SO MUCH TO DO!

In my mind, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year. I enjoy everything about it! Shopping, crowds, caroling, peppermint, family… the list could go on and on! However, in this moment I want to stop, take a breath, and focus on ENJOYING the actual season, instead of making the wonder a theoretical idea or something merely witnessed in movies.

When I was home in Idaho for Thanksgiving, I enjoyed the days AFTER this holiday the best, for the celebrations of Christmas had finally begun! During that period of time, I was rushing through the mall in order to meet my mom, and saw an old woman in the lobby of a store, completely enamored by a snow globe. Then I began to think… when was the last time I really stopped to watch the ‘snow’ fall through the glass? Reaching center court, I then saw a very young boy, probably about 2 years old, standing under a snow machine holding out his hand, hoping to catch the pieces of small ‘snow,’ completely caught up in that moment, forgetting anything else in the world existed.

So here I am, enjoying the IDEA of Christmas, but more aware of the knots in my shoulders than the actual joy of a cup of peppermint hot chocolate, soft blanket, and doing nothing but watching the fire crackle. As I rush down the streets, I try and sing the Christmas carols, but fear I am chasing something I end up running right past. The fact is, I wouldn’t even be where I am today if the miracle of Christmas had not taken place. It is the foundation for all I am, for all I believe in.

There’s something about the beginning of life and the end of life which so inspires me. The look of that little boy, and the expression on the face of that old woman tells me they realize something I don’t – that sometimes the most important thing we can do is to take a deep breath to stop and watch the snow fall.