This time of the year is undoubtedly the busiest for many people.
In addition to the normal responsibilities we have, there is also the decorating, the shopping, the Christmas card mailing, the wrapping, the cooking and baking, the hosting of festivities (or the traveling to the host’s home), and everything in between.
But there is simplicity and calmness to be found in the midst of it, and I speak from experience when I say this.
Christmas 2022 and Christmas 2023 both were very challenging for my family. In the summer of 2022, we lost my dad after a long battle with kidney disease. A few months later, we found out Mom had colon cancer.
Over the holiday season that year, she had two surgeries and was also getting acquainted with the medical oncologist from who she would be receiving her chemotherapy treatments. Between that and some other unexpected things that happened toward the end of the year, we felt fortunate just to have our sanity intact.
Christmas 2023 was going to be different. It was mom’s first post-chemo Christmas, and I wanted to make it extra special considering all she went through.
But I got sick with a nasty cold for the first two months of December 2023, and it put us behind on so much. Christmas was nice that year, but having to do everything in two weeks rather than four (not to mention the battle to get over my cold) left me frazzled and exhausted.
This year has been different. I’ve wanted to dive into all the things as soon as possible and get things done ahead of time, like the shopping, getting the Christmas cards together, putting up decorations — all of it.
In fact, I had the decorations up a week earlier than normal this year because I was so eager to make this a good Christmas that we could enjoy for a while.
Strangely, though we’ve been moving full speed ahead with everything, I have found calmness and simplicity in it, perhaps because I’m trying to do better at appreciating the “little things” about Christmas more than I’ve been able to in the past two Christmases.
For instance, Mom and I spent a good half of the day Saturday getting addresses on our Christmas card lists verified, and cards written and ready to mail out.
It was time-consuming, but as we did it, we had Christmas music playing, a “fake” fireplace burning on YouTube, the tree and mantle lights on, and mugs of hot cocoa nearby.
As we sat in our recliners and worked on the cards, I looked over at Mom and noticed how she seemed to be enjoying something neither one of us had had the time to do the past couple of years.
It felt good to get back into the swing of it, to pen notes to people who you may not have been able to connect with for most of the year but who you wanted to know were being well thought of at Christmastime.
No matter what you’re doing this holiday season, whether it’s standing in a long line to buy gifts, baking that third batch of cookies, or spending hours outside getting those exterior lights and inflatable Christmas characters just right, pause and take a breath for a moment and say a word of thanks.
Remind yourself that it doesn’t have to be perfect to be appreciated and enjoyed. The love and care that is put into it, in addition to the thought behind it, is all that really matters when all is said and done.
North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.
