Simply Christmas…..

I was laying in bed this morning and was and noticing how calm I am. Isn’t it Dec. 13th today? Usually this is the part in Dec. when my heart-rate goes up and the pace picks up. In years past this is the time I start doing the countdown to how many days I have left to get it “all” done. Decorating, 5 kids, 5 stockings, Santa gifts, family gifts, friend gifts, shop, wrap, Christmas cards, Cooking, Oh and looking fabulous for the many parties and events on the calendar………Oh and don’t forget the neighbors!

“Why am I so calm?”

I think part of the answer lies in the response to the last year as a whole. We have less to spend, so we can only shop so much, buy so much and wrap so much. For many of us our lives were simplified whether we chose it or not.  There are less parties to go to because many simply cannot put the investment into it. So our calendars have a bit more breathing room.

Humm? Are we receiving the Gift of Simplicity in the mist of difficult times? Do you know how to open it, enjoy it? Can you feel it too? Are we finding that less is really more? Did all that stuff pack our lives and calendars so full in years past that there was not much left from meaning and purpose? Love and Joy? Could it be that we actually are being given the gift of simple pleasures this year? Joy in the mist of difficulty?

I say YES, loudly as I am tucked in my bed giggling! When there is less to do, less to buy, less to wrap, less RSVP-ing we find ourselves with unexpected space to simply enjoy and embrace each other and the season. Our expectations have been lowered and some of the pressure is off…..Interesting, there is peace with these lower expectations. To stop and just BE within this wonderful season of HOPE is refreshing and renewing.

This Christmas maybe our gift is not wrapped up in a present of  “Packages, boxs and bows”, but to just  simply “be present”, for yourselves and for those you love. It might just be the best gift you or they ever got!