Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas
It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving. Mother Teresa
Christmas is coming with all that entails. Santa gets the credit for the presents, Jesus is the reason for the season, but moms do most of the work to make it happen.
I’m not part of the over-the-top Christmas crowd. My daughter, the grandkids, and I put up the Christmas tree last week. On Christmas Day, we have a big breakfast, open the gifts, and then late afternoon, the kids and grandkids go off to Christmas dinner at their spouse’s families.
A big Christmas breakfast has been our tradition; we still get our Christmas morning, and the kid’s spouse’s families get them for dinner. Making Christmas work for everyone can be a huge challenge. I feel blessed, and it’s working out for everyone.
On Saturday, I removed a wallpaper border we put up thirty years ago. It was slow going, and my three-year-old grandson, watching me, said, “Grandma, my Dad always says, don’t give up.” He helped me take off wallpaper in the hall. He’s a big helper, and he would have helped on Saturday if I’d let him go up the ladder.
In a movie we watched last night, the overworked Mom mentions three little words she loves to hear. Another character nodded and said, “I love you.”
“No,” the character laughed, “Can I help?” Don’t we always need help and encouragement, but sometimes we don’t get the question, “Can I help?” Because we are so particular, the person asking knows they can’t do things to our standard, and so they don’t offer to do anything at all.
Mom always said, “You have to let kids help, when they are more of a hindrance than a help, or they won’t help when they are capable. Maybe they won’t become capable if we don’t let them learn to do something badly before they can do it well.
What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. Agnes M. Pharo
My daughter-in-law helps her Grandma bake. There was a time she would have been more of a hindrance than a help. Now these baking times are a great way for her and her Grandmother to spend precious time together. We are the recipients of the delicious things they bake.
Christmas traditions get started; we might not even remember the origin. I can’t remember when we started having a big Christmas breakfast, but it has become the centre of our Christmas, and more important than Christmas dinner for years.
Once our children grow up and start their own families, we aren’t in control anymore. Our children need to create their own traditions, and if we are lucky, we can be part of them. Such is the tapestry of life, we weave in and out of people’s lives, and we might feel sidelined at times while our children build their own lives. Our thread will end, and we want our children to carry on with traditions we started or carried on that fit into their lives, and they can pass on to their children. This is how we leave a legacy impacting generations. We don’t know how long our thread will be; what’s important is being a strong thread in the tapestry, helping our children and grandchildren to be strong threads.
Is there a Christmas tradition you hope your children and grandchildren will remember fondly?
Christmas magic is silent. You don’t hear it – you feel it. You know it. You believe it. Kevin Alan Milne
Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour. John Boswell
Christmas can’t be bought from a store. Maybe Christmas means a little bit more. Dr. Seuss
Thank you for reading this post. Please come back and read more, and have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.