So it’s Christmas.
You know what the kids will remember? Not all the toys. Not the new clothes.
They will remember the mood. They will remember laughter and happiness, families gathering, the smells. Or will they remember the fussing because everything isn’t just perfect? The grumbling about in-laws and out-laws, the little irritations that happen when folks are crowded together. Just remember, everyone will be gone soon, your life will get back to normal.
When our kids were little, we were poor. Joe was in residency, and we didn’t have much. But we made it fun. We had little things, but we hid them well. We had scavenger hunts, and they had a series of notes leading them to their treasures. I can hear them now, running from room to room, hollering back and forth, checking each other’s notes and helping one another out. I don’t know that they remember any of the gifts, but they have asked me: “Hey, Mom, would you do a scavenger hunt for the boys like you used to do for us?”
Christmas is about Love: the Love that compelled God to send His Son, the love that compelled the Son to leave the worship of the angels and become a Lamb for the Sacrifice, the love that He calls us to imitate, the God-love, Agape love—which only comes from God. Love that lays down itself for one another. Maybe you can’t give diamonds or pearls, but you can give Love. You can give happiness. You can overcome the little petty distractions and inconveniences so your children will want to come home for Christmas–even when they are thirty-five.
Have a blessed Christmas!