As I sit here staring at my invisible Christmas tree and my even MORE invisible presents (seriously guys, I got nothing!), I’m reminded of the true meaning of this day (cliche, I know!).
The Joy of Christmas
Growing up, my siblings and I would go to sleep on Christmas Eve filled with childish excitement. We knew exactly what awaited us in the morning; a mountain high stack of merry little gifts from Santa Claus himself. Man, who needed drugs back then! This was the best type of high. Ever.
We’d wake up on the 25th and make a mad dash for the Christmas tree. After shaking all of our gifts in a futile attempt to determine what goodness awaited us, we’d get ready for the obligatory Christmas church visit (sorry Jesus but mass is quite insufferable for little children whose minds are fixed on tearing into their presents!). For an entire hour and a half, we sat through church like good little children, kept our hands to ourselves and did not utter a word outside of the Our Father prayer. We didn’t want to risk getting in trouble and possibly losing our gifts! So we sat there, quietly. But boy-oh-boy were we excited! If anticipation could kill, we would’ve all flatlined right in the pew!
When we got home from service, we’d say even more prayers (I swear this had to be God’s way of taking revenge on Santa, because all of the waiting drove us crazy!). Finally, after the last Hail Mary was spoken, we got the mighty okay to go at it! We’d immediately rip into our presents like ravenous hyenas causing us to be engulfed in a confetti storm of torn gift wrapping paper. It. Was. The. Best.
The End of Christmas
That type of Christmas died years ago.
Today, Christmas has a completely different meaning for me. It’s no longer about gifts or this mysterious (and quite frankly, a little creepy) Santa Claus figure. It’s about family and gratefulness.
Today, I woke up thankful, not because of the gifts under the tree (because remember, I have no tree and I have no presents), but simply because I’m alive, because my family is thriving and because we’re all in good health. So many other people woke up today and cannot say the same thing. As such, I’m thankful.
Today, I still feel that same excitement on Christmas Eve and it still carries over to Christmas Day. However, it’s not because of anything tangible. I am forever grateful for my life and for the people in it. I’m fortunate to have family and friends that love me and that I can depend on for anything. These are precious gifts that not even Santa Clause could place in a box.
My favorite Christmas gifts:
Merry Christmas! Stay blessed!