Christmas Struggles

 Christmas is supposed to be the happiest time of the year. But, sadly for some, it's not. For us, Christmas is usually the most stressful time of the year. Trying to coordinate schedules to get to Christmas parties and do all the Christmas shopping while making time for traditions and memories doesn't make for a relaxing Christmas holiday. This year's struggles are different. While we have been spending a lot of time as a family, I am struggling with what activities are safe to do and which ones need to be skipped. Our church puts on a HUGE Christmas event every year, which has become part of our annual traditions. This year, however, we are going to skip it. We may do the drive thru nativity scene but we will not take part in singing Christmas songs in the sanctuary. Neither Rob nor I want to take a risk on getting quarantined, nor do we want to get others sick. Sitting on Santa's lap will most likely get skipped as well. If the boys do decide they want to sit on his lap, it will definitely be a different experience from years past.

Another, non-Covid related, struggle is our Christmas tree. We have had live trees my entire life. We used to drive to the mountains with families from our church and cut down the perfect tree. We'd make a day out of it and pray for snow to play in. (I doubt my dad prayed for the snow since he was the one having to haul the tree back to the car!) Now we go to tree lots to find the perfect tree. The problem is, however, that our tree dies about two weeks in no matter what we do to take care of it. By Christmas morning there's more needles on the ground (and gifts!) than on the tree. This is the first year I've toyed with the idea of buying an artificial tree. I can't quite warm up to the idea though. Maybe it's because of the memories that surround searching for the real tree. Maybe it's the nostalgia of putting the lights on it and enjoying its uniqueness. I don't know, but it is nice to have an "unrelated from Covid" struggle. Ha!

Whatever your struggles may be, I hope you find happiness this year. I hope you're able to enjoy the special moments that Christmas brings, whether it's more family time or finding the perfect tree. I hope you realize that, despite the struggles that Christmas can bring, you are blessed. If I don't get around to blogging again before Christmas, I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas!