“It’s Christmas Eve. It’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be.” – Frank Cross

Christmas is right around the corner now. For me, all the kids are home and we are winding down to the two big days of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Yesterday, Doug and I went into the city for our annual “decompression lunch.” No one is invited to that, just us two. In previous years when the kids were younger, this was the time when things would start to get a bit stressful, so Doug implemented this scheduled break into the craziness and it has been wonderful tradition.

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” – Mother Theresa

At this lunch we don’t talk about any of the craziness, we simply settle into recounting all of our blessings. “I forgot this,” and “I didn’t do that,” isn’t allowed at this lunch. We talk about all that we are excited for in Christmas and the new year. We try to really take in the season, and for a couple of hours, we forget about what Christmas is not—a big gift exchange.

“Don’t get caught up in the wrapping paper and forget that the gift of the Christmas season is simply love.” – Toni Sorenson

So whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you can spend a little time reflecting on the good things in your life like your many blessings, all the love that surrounds you and that you have to share with others, because true wealth isn’t always money, and like Frank Cross professed, take the time to “be the people that we always hoped we would be.” Now that’s a holiday I can embrace!

“I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.” – Harlan Miller

Merry Christmas!
Beth