Christmas

This Christmas season we were forced into simplicity because we had a family of four living in our house for nearly three months.  It changed everything for us, but surprisingly, for the better.

Instead of all our usual traditions, which add a lot of busyness to the holiday season, we had to adapt a little and eliminate a lot of things.  Turned out, it was one of the best Christmases we’ve enjoyed in a long time.

What I want every year for Christmas is just to spend time with those I love.  This year, I was elated.  I had way more time than usual because of our shift in priorities.  I even had time to sit, undisturbed, for several minutes one day, listening to a CD of Andy Williams’ Christmas songs. I visualized each and every word of the lyrics and I found myself wiping away a few tears at the incredible joy I felt in that moment.  My world was full of delightful peace and life couldn’t have been any better - all just from a little downtime.  Who knew?

I’ve had the tradition, for over thirty years now, of writing a rather lengthy Christmas newsletter.  I’ve heard it referred to as an “epistle” and it’s become part of a few friend’s Christmas tradition to sit down with a cup of coffee and “read all about it.”  My husband also hand draws our Christmas cards each year, which we duplicate 250 times and send out with the newsletters.  But neither of those things happened this year.  The time I would have spent crafting my annual piece of literary genius, was used instead to spend with our houseguests, both in conversing with them when they were at our home, and in helping them launch into their new house right before Christmas.  It involved a lot of unpacking, hanging pictures and overall moral support and encouragement, but it was a gift of time they needed and we were happy to give.  It felt good, in the midst of what would have otherwise been a hectic few weeks, to just stop everything and focus on someone else’s needs and how we could make their lives a little better, even if it meant missing out on a few events ourselves.  I think that’s the real spirit of Christmas anyway – just doing something nice for someone else.

In addition to helping our friends move, the grandson of a friend of ours called to ask if he could borrow some money to get his car repaired.  He just got a new job and needs reliable transportation.  I was more than happy to float him the loan, and afterwards, it felt like I’d given myself a Christmas gift, just by doing that.   It was nice to have a few hundred bucks I could do without for a few months, in order to help someone strapped for cash.  I’ve been there.  I know the feeling.  It was total bliss for me to be able to say “yes,” when he asked for help.

This shift in our Christmas priorities taught me a lot this year, so I’m thinking next Christmas might have even less traditions, and a lot more downtime.