2006

A few evenings ago, after the days of filling that last big order of the season, and a few days of heavy cleaning, my youngest son and I opened the corner cupboard in the living room. This is the place we keep our blown Easter-eggs, our birthday paper chains, our Valentine hearts and most especially, all our Christmas things…..not the practical things like lights and tree-stands, but the lovely spirit-filled things. Here we keep our baskets of ornaments and books, our carved wooden statues, our sleigh-bells and stockings. We have not opened this cupboard in many a month and it was so good to see everything! It all seemed to be waiting patiently for life to get slow and quiet enough to pay attention once again.

These past few days have been such a mix of expectations met and unmet, heaps of work to accomplish and tasks to check off my list with sweet moments sprinkled amongst it all. I have to keep struggling not to feel overwhelmed and felt this so many times as I was up until 2am last night finishing presents and packages to take to the post office this morning. It is all so good and yet all too much! I know almost everyone feels something of this at this season. My hope for all of us is that we can keep a healthy balance….remember to sit down and read a Christmas story even before the house is perfectly adorned….to enjoy the homemade peanut-butter fudge in sweet snatches as we wrap presents, if not on a pretty plate by the fire (can you tell that I am speaking to myself?)….to feel over and over the ephemeral, but deep joy expressed by my son when we first opened the cupboard and saw the dear Household symbols of this season…..”Christmas wins!”