Thoughts On The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

With the exception of my sister and perhaps Santa Claus there are few people who love Christmas and the holiday season as much as I do. I can take or leave rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens, but Christmas and a good snow fall are in fact a few of my favorite things.

It’s taken me some time to realize why I have such an affinity for these things but after several years of deliberation I think I have a good grasp on why I love these events so much. Although a part of it is the beauty of the season and an untouched blanket of snow, it truly goes deeper.

What I love about these things it is how they effect our everyday lives. Unfortunately we live in a world that is constantly in motion. The pace of life and the expectations on our time have be become so great that we fail to focus on the things that truly matter in life; things such as family and the many other blessings that God has given us. Our lives are now driven by the desire to keep up with the joneses and we fail to pay adequate attention to the things that are most valuable in life.

I understand that the holidays can be stressful with shopping and decorating and preparing large meals, but during these times we also come together as families and friends in ways that we don’t during the rest of the year. And when the snow begins to fall and a quietness blankets our cities, we are forced to stay home from school and work. And if only for a day or two, we are left with time on our hands to sip hot drinks, read old grocery store novels and play antiquated boardgames from our childhood.

This excuse to remove myself from the rat race is something I long for all year . I long to spend extended periods of time with family, to eat good food and forget about the stresses of everyday life.

It is much too easy to slip into the trap of busyness and workaholism. To get caught up in scheduling appointments, paying bills and as a result miss out of the truly finer things in life.

As as we enter into the “most wonderful time of the year”, It is my prayer that you would soak in every minute of it.

Take advantage of your time off.

Enjoy the company of family and friends.

And don’t allow yourself to get caught up in the myth that the holidays are about spending money.

The holidays and those snowy winter days are about so much more than that and I encourage you to savor the time that you have to rest, laugh, converse and pray with good friends and wonderful family.

This is what I have learned makes this the most wonderful time of the year.