ENJOY CHRISTMAS BEFORE IT’S OVER

By Glenn Mollette

Christmas is coming fast but try to slow down. Before you know it Christmas will be over.

Most of us live our lives in a hurry. We hurry to finish school, hurry through meals, hurry through the work week and hurry into retirement. In a twinkle of an eye we have hurried through our lives. The clock cannot be reset. The past is in the past and you can’t change yesterday. You can relish, rejoice or regret about yesterday but you can’t change the past. Actually you might not want to or you might tweak a few days if you could but you can’t.

If you could you, might have spent an extra hour at the lake or an extra day on vacation. You might have given an extra hour to passing ball with your kids or staying an extra hour to help mom clean up the kitchen. You might retract some words that came out of your mouth in a moment of frustration. The scenarios are numerous when we look back.

We can only look ahead.

Take the focus off spending lots of money. Consider drawing names if you have a large group that gathers. Why try to buy for everybody? Some of the people you buy for may be strapped for cash. They might be able to buy one or two gifts with a limited budget but they can’t buy for ten or twenty people. Even if you are blessed with cash consider others who want to give but are limited. Plan a way that all can enjoy.

Take the focus off eating. Do you really want to start the New Year ten pounds heavier? Nobody needs five different kinds of pies and cakes. The more you have to eat in your refrigerator the more you will eat. Do your loved ones need diabetes? Don’t add to their problem. Make some good food and make it as healthy as possible. However, take the time to enjoy what you made and try to enjoy it with people who are meaningful to you.

Try to focus on who and what Christmas is all about. A humble family giving birth to a baby in Bethlehem. Life was surely hectic and crazy for Mary and Joseph. They had made the trip to a tiny village to pay taxes, Mary had her baby Jesus and it was in a place where the animals were kept. The crib was a cow’s trough. Life for them was surely filled with stress. Soon they would vacate Bethlehem because they feared for the life of their child. They certainly experienced tiredness and worries.

The old story says shepherds came to see the baby Jesus. Angels appeared in celebration of his birth. Wise men from the East came bringing him gifts. A lot of attention was given to the little baby. This season focus on what and who are important before the season is over and take an extra moment to enjoy.

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Contact him at GMollette@aol.com. Learn more at www.glennmollette.com Like his facebook page at www.facebook.com/glennmollette