In the Spirit

Holiday.

At no time is that word more deceptive than in the period leading up to December 25th if you celebrate Christmas. Actually, I imagine that preparations for Hanukkah or even Kwanzaa are no breezy stroll either. This year, I was feeling quite the scrooge since about mid-November. Already resenting the pressure I was starting to feel to make the "season" just right this year. Instead of my mind filing with thoughts of Christmas music, relaxation, good food, and most importantly the flood of family members and friends that I'm most likely to see in the next several days...all I could think about for a while was "I'll just never get those cards out in time" and "Knit! Faster!".

Now I'm not blaming anyone for this stress mind you. I'm type A. It comes naturally.
But we all know that the trend has moved quickly away from hot chocolate and caroling to fist fights at the mall and camping out in the cold for <>. I even briefly considered sending everyone on the list an E-card this year! Just to buy a little more time. :sigh:

Then, Sunday night. Hubby made that all melt away. He showed up around 9, returning from an afternoon of football watching at his brother's. He was all grins, which I couldn't figure out. After doing I-didn't-know-what for several minutes outside, he asked the girls and I to come to the door. He opened it, and there lay an 8 foot Christmas tree, just as gorgeous as you please! My holiday spirit came so suddenly at the site of that tree, it nearly knocked me over. Strange, but that small thing really gave me a huge lift! He insisted we decorate it with the girls immediately and the fun soon followed. I started blasting the carols, and we dolled it up!

That time with hubby and the girls, making sure the ornaments hung just so was a great reminder of how a little thing like family quality time can sometimes kick the snot out of a big thing like holiday stress.

I hope that whatever you celebrate, the spirit of that celebration has already started to spread it's joy around you and those you love!