Holiday Reflection

Ah, Christmas! Ah, Christmas! The time of the year when I just want to take a candy cane and beat the wings off a sugar plum fairy. No, I didn't say it but I love the person who did. There are so many expectations built around the Christmas season-the shopping, wrapping, baking, cooking, cleaning...and the list is endless. Did I get a present for? Did I remember to send a card to? Am I going to grief for ending a sentence with a preposition? Don't get me wrong. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. People do seem a bit nicer. Good cheer is everywhere you look. I love the decorations and traditions.That said, I prefer a Whoville Christmas where the townsfolk join hands and sing praises for the birth of Jesus. Having the Grinch return everything was just an added Christmas miracle.I will admit that the excitement I felt as a child and then again when my children were growing up is gone. The anticipation we all felt as Christmas approached was a bond we shared together. But like the first day of school when you are no longer a part of it, the day is different.I suppose as one grows older, our outlook changes and the way we view things change a bit. Gone are the days ( at least for us) of the chaotic, fun-filled Christmas days with extended family and friends. Where you run from morning till night visiting this house and the next, sharing, exchanging gifts, continuing traditions, remembering. I guess that's what I miss the most, the looking back at Christmases past. Now we have nuclear families, staying close and doing their own thing. Not to say that's a bad thing, it's just different. Times change. Families change. The good news is I am a grandmother. I have two little boys who make Christmas so very special for me. The joy on their faces and their pure excitement when they tear open their presents is all I need to take me back to Christmases where magic happened.Or maybe we just need to go to Disneyworld next year, where every day is Christmas and the smiles never leave your face.Happy 2014... whatever it may bring.