Christmas fantasy vs. reality

Ahh, Christmas. Though I don’t celebrate it, I do love it, and I think this is why: Christmas brings magic into my life. Christmas is soft snow falling, cocooning at home. Gorgeous seasonal decorations and light. Delicious food, snacks, drinks. Time! Time off, time with family, time with friends, time to reflect. Lovely music, feel-good movies, coziness, love and security.
Christmas reality: this year, the reality was pretty far from the fantasy. My husband doesn’t celebrate Christmas and is quite an un-fan of the music, movies, etc. I’ve been feeling busy, even though on vacation, so my minimalist decorations (one piece of driftwood with some ornaments hanging from it) didn’t get hung until Boxing Day. No time for movies (though, okay, I did sneak in Sleepless in Seattle, though it’s not really Christmas but it does have some Christmas scenes). No good meal planning, so no good food. And the biggest problem? I was grumpy all day on the 25th. And Husband was tired. In other words, our home was kind of a magic-free zone.

Fortunately, we woke up on the 26th and decided to have a good day. We were happy and cheerful; things got done around the house; we got a family walk; and, as mentioned, ornaments were hung. Mainly, though, I reflected on why I was feeling grumpy and sad, and realized that I crave the opportunity to bring that escapist magic into my life. I let myself get too busy to do it, and let my spouse’s concept of how to do this season override my own needs. Now I can see that I don’t have to “do” Christmas to get that magic. I need to re-do my attitude (cheer up!); slow down; and prioritize time for the few things that really matter to me. And by being more in the moment and treasuring the moments I do have with my family, I’ll be making that magic day after day for us to enjoy. It’s not about Christmas, as I don’t need an external holiday that I don’t celebrate to make myself enjoy my life. I can make my days what I want them to be, and have a magical home life … if not all the time, at least more often.

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