Well, it is that time of year again. December 3rd and I already feel as if Christmas is over. It seems to come and go quicker every year. As I look back on my childhood and think about past Christmas', I have so many wonderful memories. Waking up December 1st and knowing... ITS TIME TO START DECORATING! My mom would fill the house with cinnamon candles, home made decorations and what seemed like thousands of poinsettia's. I remember her pulling out this ceramic tree with these little plastic pins that would illuminate when you plugged them in. Every year she said the same thing, "Erin, do you know who made this tree?" I would always respond with "Oma?" as if I was not totally sure. My mom would be singing Christmas songs and the one I remember hearing the most was the famous duet by Bing Crosby and David Bowie... Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth. She always told me that Opa used to sing it to her when she was younger. Those stories still don't get old. I remember every year we would Christmas shop and my brother and I would decorate our rooms with lights and small trees and homemade wreathes and stockings on our doors. It was perfect. Every Christmas Eve, we would get dressed up and go to church. My favorite service. Always touching and the fact that it was a candle lit service made it extra special. Then we would load up in the car and go look at lights before heading home. Once we were home we would have summer sausage, cheese and crackers and now our new tradition... pizza. Before heading to bed, we would open one gift to hold us over until morning. And as you can guess... we would go to bed and lay awake anticipating what Santa had left for us. Christmas morning came and I remember my brother and I would BOLT out to the living room. We would anxiously await as we heard mom start the coffee pot and put in the cinnamon rolls. Finally the coffee is ready and she would take a cup into my dad.... and then... slowly.... he would roll out of bed. Nick and I were about to burst at this point. But before we could open presents, we had to read the Christmas Story. AND THEN FINALLY.... it was time to open gifts. We always got the neatest things. I remember one year we wanted a trampoline so bad. Our cousins had one, so we figured we should too. But since we were in the middle of a remodel, we could not afford a big one. So my mom rolls in a small, red exercise trampoline. And you know what? It was perfect. We loved that thing. I loved everything about Christmas back then.
Lately, it just seems like Christmas is more of a hassle than anything. Nobody decorates like they used to. You drive through neighborhoods to see lights, and you are lucky if even half the street is decorated. School is now required to call it "Winter Break" because they have to be politically correct. People go in debt in order to buy gifts for people they don't even want to buy for. I am struggling myself this year financially. I wont be able to buy for the people closest to me and it is killing me. But at the same time, it has really forced me to get back to the roots of Christmas. I am remembering all of these things from years past and it almost makes me sad to see what Christmas has become. Has it always been this way? Was my mom just so good at making every Christmas so special that I didn't realize how much of a hassle people seem to think it is? I sure hope not. While the presents are nice, it's not what Christmas is about. I love to see the lights and the decorations and it makes me sad when people don't get into the spirit, but I have to remind myself, that is not the most important thing. I wish that everyone including myself could take time to step out of the stores and remember why we celebrate CHRISTmas. The birth of Jesus Christ. Our saviour. We need to be celebrating him, his life and what he came to earth for. And we need to slow it down and enjoy time with our family. That time is limited. It is so precious and I want to look back on my life and be glad that I spent quality time with my family. I really hope that people will take a step back, slow down and just enjoy this holiday season. Stop worrying about money and grab your family, some mugs filled with hot cocoa and pop in a classic Christmas movie. I have every intention on making this Christmas count. I hope you do too.
