For a number of years , I went through a stage when I really didn’t like Christmas very much. In fact, there was a time when Christmas was so overwhelming to me that conversion to Judaism seemed the easier route.
This wasn’t always true. I actually used to be a Christmas Snob. I’d completely overdo Christmas.
My mental list of Christmas duties would start accumulating the day after Thanksgiving and wouldn’t actually let up until the sun went down on Christmas day.
Home movies of me after Christmases when my kids were little reveal a thin, pale woman sitting on the couch, robotically drinking coffee in a semi-comatose state while everyone else is running around playing and laughing.
- Okay, this isn’t me, unfortunately I’m not nearly this cute.
Anyway, my fanatical inner Christmas perfectionism would zap all the joy and energy that was to be had out of the season. I had no one to blame but myself.
Chasing this Perfect Snow White Christmas took such a toll on me that January became my favorite month of the year because it was the furthest away from Christmas.
And yet, when another Christmas would roll around, I could never tone it down. I was stuck on a hamster wheel in search of Christmas Perfect.
But now that I’m older, wiser (and much, much lazier), I don’t make lists to see if everyone has the same amount of presents to open. I don’t bake my fingers to the bone or shop til I drop.
I wrap the presents and put them under the tree. Then I sit back and watch and enjoy everyone around me because I’ve finally learned the Big Christmas Lesson:
Christmas is our opportunity to jump off the hamster wheel of life for a while and just be deliberately present with the people we love.
Christmas is about being present.
How ironic that it turns out Christmas is about the presents after all!
Until next time . . . I love you
Linda Vernon Humor 
It doesn’t have to be a ‘snow white Christmas’… just make sure you don’t let it get to the ‘yellow snow’ level… HA!
Haha! The Christmas acid test! That would make a great cartoon. You should photoshop that up! 😀
I think I did something like that once… sigh
Really? Good for you! It’s nice to be able to say that!
I hope so.
Anybody who has a reason to make a yellow snow chart is Aces in my book!
I think it was a Photoshop picture… I remember it was weird…
Maybe it was upside down.
That is more of a golden shower than yellow snow… ha!
This is so true Linda. being present is the best gift of all.
Merry Christmas Linda, have a great one.
Thank you Summers! You have a a great one too and stay cool down under!!
Christmas has become such a ‘big-to-do’…I’ve learned that not all desserts must be homemade, Shepherd’s soup in the crockpot makes a calm Christmas day, and a shot of rum in ye olde eggnog is mother’s little helper.
Ha ha! Now that’s what I call a perfect Christmas Helen! Crockpot dinner is a great idea. Why didn’t I think of that? I’ll have to google a good shepherd’s pie recipe!
An excellent punchline!
A happy and a merry to all the Vernons.
Ah! Thank you so much!! Merry Christmas to you and tmwgitu too!!
I’m so with you on this one! Merry Christmas!
Yay!! Here’s to a laid back Christmas Bucky! *clink*
Same to you! clink!
I’m glad you can finally relax and enjoy yourself at Christmas mom! I know we kids all enjoyed it so much thanks to your effort!!!
Oh thank you so much darling! But I bet you and Tyler will have the best Christmas ever this year and it will be Henry’s best Christmas too . . So far anyway!
What a profound statement! What have you been smoking??? I guess it’s true that even great humorist can get away with being serious once in a while.
LOL! Thanks Russell! Mistletoe in my pipe seems to bring out my serious side.