My "Not So Typical Christmas Letter" & Merry Christmas to You!

Hey everyone!  This will be my last post of the year, but I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas before taking a break.  For the last couple of years, I have written a Christmas message to enclose with our Christmas card.  It's not your typical holiday letter, and I thought I would share it with all of you this year.  I hope you enjoy it.

Merry Christmas One and All

Christmas 2015

It is again time to celebrate the joys and wonders of Christmas, say goodbye to 2015 and look with anticipation to the new year.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see things the way children do, where time moves slowly as they anxiously wait for each and every moment?  Adults always seem to play catch-up, usually trying too hard to create something memorable.  We cling to traditions and try to stall the passage of time, even as we see it slip silently away.  Maybe now is the time to simply enjoy and savor what is now.

Many of us have started planning and writing our yearly missive, filling it with a detailed recap of what is going on with our children and grandchildren, and sharing how busy the year has been for us with trips, accomplishments, and contributions.  Are our family and friends truly eager to hear all of that?  I don’t know, perhaps they would just like to know that our family has the same struggles and concerns, the same “ups and downs” in life that they have.  Maybe they would rather know that we haven’t been so wrapped up in the busyness of our own lives, to think of them often and hope they are doing well.    

This past year has had much joy, but also more than enough heartache, illness & loss.  Maybe now is the time to be more thoughtful of those who are experiencing pain and sadness, and offer them extra helpings of kindness and tender care.  Perhaps a sweet note sent in February, June or September would brighten their day.

As we look to the approaching new year, perhaps we should try to see it through the eyes of a young child, where there is joy and excitement in the simple things of each day.  Maybe 2016 will be the year that we become more mindful of the needs of others, and take the time to give of ourselves more freely.  Whatever the new year holds for each of us, let us see it as a gift of new possibilities and hope; let us be present and not waste it.

May 2016 be a Happy New Year!