Christmas Reflections

What do you make of Christmas when it no longer feels like Christmas? As I grow older, I'm more frustrated by the fact that anything--the season, the birthday, etc.--is what we make of it. When you're little, Christmas seems to come riding in with a magic all its own extending from the moment Thanksgiving dinner ends until the last present is unwrapped and even a little later until the last Christmas cookie has disappeared, albeit in someone's stomach or the trashcan. However, I'm not finding that joy comes automatically with the season. I'm no scrooge, though, so I'll recount what has made the season joyful through 20/20 hindsight:

1. Christmas Caroling. No, the old-time tradition has not yet died, at least in the Davis household. Mom decided that, since we weren't having Christmas Eve service at church this year, we should carol to our neighbors, Christina and Clint's neighbors, and close relatives, much to my brothers' chagrin. It turned out to be an enjoyable night, with our repertoire of "Joy to the World," "Silent Night," "O Come All Ye Faithful," and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." We had people cry, give us a donation for the church, join us in caroling to their family, shush us because the baby was sleeping, and photograph us for all posterity to remember.

2. Gift Unwrapping. The tradition in my family is to open gifts one at a time while everyone watches and oohs and aahs. We love it because, depending on the year and how many times we interrupt with a snack, gift unwrapping can last between three and six hours, and we always know what everyone received. Another tradition is that each kid receives one "big" gift. As a youngin', it would have been treacherous to have someone else open your big gift, let alone any little gift. I guess I can count it joy that I have reached the age where this faux pas, so horrid and unforgivable in the sight of the giftgiver, did not phase me. When Eric unwrapped my digital camera and then had to hand it over, I must say I handled it with much maturity, yet another sign that I'm getting too old (this mishap was due to the fact that my dad created a secret coding system to inform him of the intended recipient for the package and the contents within, but he unfortunately had major glitches in cracking the code most of the afternoon).

3. Gift Giving. I realized once again that much of the fun at Christmas is in giving the gifts, not receiving them. Seeing the surprise or the excitement of the person opening a gift from you is worth more than gold. I was a little disappointed that I only had gifts for two people this year; my dad's gift still has yet to arrive in the mail, and my siblings and I have taken up the tradition of exchanging names so we only have to buy one gift. It's all in all a better system--less money spent, better quality gift, but I sometimes wish I made six digits simple so I could buy quality gifts for everyone.

Alas, it's good to be reminded of God's gift at Christmas, and that should be the primary focus of the season; however, I miss the old time excitement over the decorations, the packages, the food. We need to start having little kids around again. Though they often carry chaos with them, there's nothing like a child to bring back the simple, unsearched-for joys of the season. No pressure on the married (or soon to be married) siblings. :-)