My Magic Of Christmas

I love the Roger Whittaker holiday song lyrics, "Christmas is Here Again, Stand Up and Cheer Again! Let's leave our heartaches and sorrows behind!"

I love the Christmas Season and the magic, peace and faith it brings to most of the Christian world. The over-commercialization of the holidays KILLS me, but when you set that aside, and truly focus on what the holiday season is all about, it truly is a miraculous reason to celebrate. We all have so much, and so many things to be thankful for this holiday season and throughout all the year, every year.

I love that the Christian, Non-Christian and Secular worlds come together to take some time out of the busy, hectic nature of life and pause and reflect either on the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, as well as to pause to reflect on how we each can contribute to make the world in which we live a better place. In a world of chaos where so many worldly things dictate how we should spend our time, or what we should think or agree with, Christmas to me is getting back to the basics of humanity and to my faith I hold dear in my heart. For this reason, I offer a few personal thoughts on why I think this is the best time of year...

1) Spending time with our loved ones. Pro-actively organizing parties, venues, or just spending quality time with our immediate and extended families, and dear friends who are an extension of our families. This is what Christmas is all about, strengthening our family relationships and creating memories.

2) Continuing and creating new traditions to share with family and friends, and to pass on to future generations. We all are a product of the environments we came from, the good and the bad. Taking those positive things and expanding on them, and teaching others about traditions and family histories are priceless gifts. Legacies of loved ones past, to share with those yet waiting to be part of families.

3) Connecting with our loved ones who have passed on, by cooking their favorite recipes, telling and re-telling of stories, as well as reflecting on all those good things we've learned from our parents, grandparents and those that have preceded us in death. Some of my most treasured items are recipes, handwritten notes, quilts, serving pieces and things of the like that use to grace the tables and homes of my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.

4) Getting involved in something I deeply care and am passionate about. So many organizations need our help not only at this time of year, but all year round. Giving of your time and talents to helping make someone else's burdens less, is the true spirit of giving and brotherly love. Whether this be in our religious communities, or physical communities or a combination of both, we all have something to contribute to others and we all have something to learn from others.

5) The thought "gifts are nice, but homemade gifts are best," truly is something I try to incorporate each holiday season. It's easy to just purchase and buy something to give, but giving gifts of the heart, homemade with time treasured techniques really heightens the magic of the season for both the giver and the recipient.

6) Really diving in and understanding your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and God, our father in heaven. The miracle of forgiveness, and the blessing of Christ's atonement for EVERYONE really can be hard to fathom. But, as Christians we should do our part to really understand our place in the world, and our relationship with others in kindness, compassion and selfless concern. Not only at Christmas time, but always.

As we start December today, Christmas is here again! I'm excited for what the season symbolizes, teaches, and what I can choose to take out of it.