Christmas Blessings

As Christmas quickly approaches, it is time to take a few minutes to reflect on the true spirit of Christmas.  Christmas is about more than gifts and Santa.  Christmas is about celebrating love of a father, the blessings of a son, and the gifts of the spirit.  Even if one is not religious, love, family and hope are still a foundation of Christmas.  

Christmas is a time to count our blessings for the year as we look ahead to the next.  Even if it has been a rough year, there is still bound to be one or two good blessings.  Blessings for our family include:  Princess graduating to underwear, Pumpkin writing his name for the first time, Hubby being unharmed in a freak accident, and for me- taking some really incredible shots with my digital camera this year.  Take some time to reflect on your blessings and see what you come up with.

Christmas is about hope.  Growing up my Sunday school teacher's favorite saying this time of the year was "Jesus Is The Reason For The Season!"  One year she gave everyone in her Sunday school class a simple ornament with that saying and every year it hangs on my tree.  This time of the year is about hope and the promise of goodness to come.  Hope is a foundation which we build our lives on.  Without hope we can become lost and fall into despair. 

Christmas is about love and family.  Dad always says "You can pick your nose, but you can't pick your family."  That is quite hilarious but very true.  Love is unconditional when it comes to family, just like God loves us unconditionally no matter what.  You may not always agree with your family and there may be differences of opinion from time to time, but families forgive and families love and families share hope for the future. 

Christmas is also about memories of years past- your history.  Just as the Bible tells what happened many, many years ago, we also remember to earlier times in our lives.  The smells of a freshly cut Christmas tree, the joy of a family making Christmas cookies, remembrance of gifts from Christmas past, family traditions past down from year to year, and missing loved ones that have gone on before us.  These memories are what make us who we are and can define where we are going in life.

Our family wishes yours Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with hope, blessings, and love!