The New Holiday Celebrations

That special part of the year has finally arrived for us so we can close it out in a big way. The smell of all the food that has been prepared with love, the smell of cinammon and nutmeg hanging in the air. The joy and excitement of getting together with our family to reminisce about childhood memories and the things that we THINK that our parents don’t know.

’Tis the season to be giving”, at least that is what has always been said. The bustling of last minute shopping to top off the needs of Christmas Day usually increases the excitement. However, how many times have you been in your car on your way to WallyWorld and saw the person in the car driving by face was all tore up. Why do people feel obligated to have to “buy” things for people, especially when they do not have the money to buy. If 2020 has not taught us anything, it definitely should have taught us to be appreciative for the small things in our life.

The year 2020 came in like all other years, full of promise and hope of things to come. However, with the spread of the Coronovirus, all of our lives were quickly turned upside down. This has been the year that it seems as though we have seen more people die, loose their jobs, their homes, and being filled with distress in wondering how they were going to make it through. Some of us have been rewarded with the stimulus check and unemployment as a replacement for our income, but the real question is, how did we utilize the quarantine? Did we reflect on what we are greatful for? Did we look at it as an inconvenience to our daily life? Did we spend the time to rekindle our love with our significant other? How about bonding with our children and showing them creative ways of spending time without the technology overload?

I am about to tick off a lot of people with what I am about to say, so here it goes. This pandemic is EXACTLY what our society needed to help us refocus on the things that are the most important......family. We tend to take so much for granted by “assuming” that it will always be there. We don’t tell each other “I love you” enough because we always assume we can tell them later. This pandemic has reminded all of us with how precious time and the bond with our family really is. Normally we could just go wherever we needed to and do what we needed to without a thought or consequence. The pandemic has showed us how important being separated from others was in order to protect those that we love in order for us to come out of this stronger.

Next week we will be celebrating all of our highs and lows from this year as we remember 2020 with the celebration of the new hope that comes in with 2021. As we celebrate, let’s not forget to thank the pandemic for truly reminding us what is important this holiday.... our family.

Merry Christmas everyone and have a Blessed New Year!