Christmas Spirit

 Merry Christmas!! Well...almost. It's hard to believe that Christmas is in two days. Are you ready? I have to admit, I've really been dragging my feet for some reason this year. I thought I was going to be on top of everything I wanted to get done for Christmas, but all of a sudden it's two days away and I'm still not sure if I'm satisfied with everything.
   I was so excited to have this whole month full of Christmas activities, you know - buying/making presents for everyone, making treats, decorating the house, watching Christmas movies, sending out Christmas cards. That all sounds good, right?
  Well, I finished my college class towards the middle of the month and because I'd been putting in lots of time studying for my final, I just had it set in my mind that as soon as the class was over it would be time to start all the Chirstmas fun. But once that time came, all of a sudden it felt like I was out of time; and apparently I buckle under pressure (which I guess I already knew) because now that I needed to start thinking about all the people I still needed to get presents for I couldn't think of anything they'd like. And even though we've had our Christmas cards ordered and ready since the beginning of the month, there was still a huge stack of them waiting to be addressed and mailed. Pretty soon all these little things started adding up and honestly, I was ready to throw in the towel.
   It got to be pretty depressing to wake up and think, "I still don't have something for so and so." Or, "Sheesh, when are we ever going to be done addressing envelopes?" I have to admit, I really wasn't feeling much of a Christmas spirit. Tell me I'm not the only one who's ever felt like that!
  As I got to thinking the past couple days (yeah, I know, I should have been thinking all along), I realized that I wasn't feeling the Christmas spirit because I wasn't focusing on the real meaning of Christmas.
  I mean, there's nothing wrong with buying presents for people you love; it's a good thing to send cards to family and friends; and it totally means you're thinking of others when you spend two or three days making enough chocolate covered food to feed a third world country! The problem starts when you realize that you're doing all of that more out of habit than anything else.
   I truly was doing all those things because I wanted to let the recipients of any of those things know how much they mean to me - because they do!! But I got so focused on trying to make everything just right that I somehow forgot about enjoying it. Does any of that make sense?
  But here's what I've finally started re-learning: Christmas really isn't meant to be a holiday where we give because we have to (and I'm not saying that to get out of buying presents). It's not about becoming the Willy Wonka chocolate factory. Christmas is about remembering the Savior, who was born in a humble, little barn and visited by people who loved Him.
  Christmas is about loving each other and serving the best we can, or actually, it should be a good reminder that we should always be loving and serving. Of course we give presents and send cards and make treats with the original purpose of showing love for the people in our lives, but sometimes it's hard not to get distracted and start doing it out of some kind of obligation. Ultimately though, I think I understand: I wanted to do that to let people know I care. My heart has been in the right place, it's my head that got in the way. :)
  Has that happened to any of you? Here's my "light bulb" moment - love doesn't have to be big or expensive (whether you're giving or getting)! It just needs to come from the heart. Some of my favorite "things" aren't things at all. One of the best parts of the holidays is stopping in and visiting friends, and getting to spend time with all my family. And if you're reading this blog then that means that you're a friend and I hope you know that you mean a lot to me!! And that is what Christmas can be for all of us, a time to let others know how much we care about them.
  So with two more days until Christmas I hope it will be a time for all of us to find a simple, heartfelt way to love and serve others while we remember the true meaning of Christmas - which is the birth of Christ.
  Thanks for letting me think out loud for a minute! As I climb off my little soap box now, here's a list of some of our favorite Christmas movies you might want to catch up on during your Christmas break! :)

  * Top 10 *

1. The church just put these new videos out, all about the life of the Savior - check it out here (there's more on the website, this is just the first one).
http://lds.org/bible-videos/videos/an-angel-foretells-christs-birth-to-mary?lang=eng

2. White Christmas (with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye)
3. A Christmas Carol
4. Holiday Inn
5. It's a Wonderful Life
6. Charlie Brown's Christmas
7. Garfield's Christmas
8. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
9. Miracle on 34th Street
10. Elf

Merry Christmas!!!