Sharing Christmas

Christmas is traditionally a time for present giving, over eating and watching repeats on television.  But has it all become a bit too commercial? The countdown to Christmas seems to begin right after Labor Day and many shops and town centers have Christmas decorations and lights up well before the 5th of November. Streets seem to compete to see who can get the most decorations up on their front lawn.  Discount stores begin to fill with people searching for the perfect gift and the "must have" toy of the year sells out weeks in advance. With all this stress and chaos, we could all benefit from taking a bit of time to stop and focus on the more important gifts of the season?

For many people, Christmas is a religious time that peaks with Midnight mass. For many others, it is a time to spend with family and friends and a chance to catch up with those special people we don't often see.  Since many of us are off work at the same time, the strong magnetic call of home urges us to return to the towns of our youth to stay with parents or in-laws. Greeting cards are mailed in huge numbers.  The postal service expects to handle over a million cards a day in the 3 weeks leading up to Christmas Day.  It's become the easiest way to share news of your year with far away relatives and friends.

Many families have unique Christmas traditions.  There are probably no two households in the world that celebrate the holiday season in exactly the same way.  Sharing these unique traditions is the perfect way to stay close to your family and to bring new additions into the family circle. Maybe your family always makes cookies rather than buying them, or you all stay up until a minute past midnight to open the presents together. Whatever your customs, they will be passed down from generation to generation and mixed in with those of other families as marriages or unions form new and extended families.  This will be echoed when families and friends unite to share the Christmas season.

So this Christmas, why not take a step back from the hustle and bustle of the preparations and remember the uniqueness of the time of year which brings your family together to share that special bond at Christmas. For those loved ones who won't be able to join the festivities, include handwritten notes in your Christmas cards to keep them aware of the latest news.  Most of all, take a moment to bask in the warm glow that only a family Christmas filled with your own special joys can bring.