Take a little time to let Christmas sink in
Moments
for Mum with ELISABETH CORCORAN
I was
listening to the radio the other day and the DJ said: “It’s
almost Christmas – hard to believe it’s come around again
so fast …”
I’ve been known to utter that same sentiment from time to time … though
it did strike me as odd when she said it. It’s not like it’s on a
different date every year. Or one year we celebrate it in December then the
calendar companies play with our minds and bump it up to July the next year
and “how did it sneak up on us again?!” It’s the same 364 days
from last Christmas as it was the year before and the year before that. So,
why then, does it seem to catch all of us off-guard every year?
Maybe because every year the supermarkets start pulling out the Christmas trees
a bit earlier than the year before … I actually saw them sitting a few
aisles away from the Hallowe’en stuff this year. Next year they’ll
be hanging mistletoe by the school supplies and in 2005 they’ll be selling
fireworks and wreaths in the car park.
Or maybe it’s because Christmas is no ordinary holiday. It’s not
like a May Bank Holiday where the only blip on the screen is a day's holiday
not everyone wants at that time of year. This is Christmas we’re talking
about … a month-long extravaganza of food, friends, family gatherings,
presents, open houses, carolling, cards, parties and whatnot.
Or maybe because of all the feelings this holiday can stir up – sweet
memories of childhood, days and times gone by – that we realize the passage
of time in general a bit more poignantly. We see our kids growing up, we feel
our bodies reminding us that we’re not 16 anymore, we remember pulling
out the decorations like it was just yesterday, and we remember the commitment
we made some months back not to let Christmas pass us by without slowing down
and letting it all really sink in.
Let what sink in? You know what I’m talking about – the entire reason
we (and most of the world) even celebrates Christmas.
This is no ordinary holiday for sure, Mums. And we Mums set the tone for our
homes. This year … slow down. This year … take a look at your calendar
now and make sure you and your family aren’t doing too much. This year … just
say no to one of those party invitations and instead, serve together as a family
- at a shelter maybe, or delivering gifts to a home for the elderly.
This year … when you bake all those cookies, put on some Christmas music,
have the kids help you, and don’t worry if they all turn out ‘just
right’. This year … get up a bit early even once or twice … make
yourself a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, light a few candles, and read yourself
the Christmas story.
This year … ask God to reveal Himself to you … what does He want
for you this Christmas? I can tell you for sure it’s not migraines and
going into debt and more impatience than usual.
He wants to give you peace. Let Him.
- Elisabeth K Corcoran is the author of Calm in My Chaos: Encouragement for a Mom’s Weary Soul. She is wife to Kevin, and mum to Sara, 7, and Jack, 5 1/2. Her passion is encouraging women and she fulfils that through heading up the Women’s Ministries at Blackberry Creek Community Church in Aurora, Illinois and writing as much as she can. Calm in My Chaos (2001) can be purchased directly through her publisher, Kregel Publications at www.kregel.com, or at amazon.com
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