As I was reading BillieJo's blog post for today she said something that really stuck with me, "This is the only Christmas 2025 we will celebrate." Wow! That's pretty powerful. Yes, we do have Christmas year after year but this will be the only one of the year 2025 and the only one that will be everything that it is. With having a mother in late stage Alzheimer's who also battles other health issues I do keep in mind that this could possibly be the last Christmas we have with her. In fact, it could even be the last one I have with my father or my husband's parents, or anyone for that matter, since none of us know when our time is coming up. I know that sounded morbid, maybe, but you know what I mean. This is also the last Christmas we have before my son goes off to college. He'll be home next Christmas for break but it will feel very different. Christmas no longer feels as it used to and some traditions have changed (like Santa Claus - my kids don't believe anymore) but so much is still the same. Every year we celebrate the true meaning, the birth of Jesus. We'll attend our church's Christmas Eve candlelight service and then wake up on Christmas Day to open gifts. That moment I have in the morning with just the four of us is special and it won't be long before my kids will be doing that in their own homes with their own families. Every Christmas will continue to have some of the same traditions but then some changes as well. Change ... ugh, I don't do well with change at all.
But I won't think of the past or even the future. In one week we will be celebrating the Christmas of 2025 and I will do my best to make it as wonderful as it can be. No stressing over what I can't control. Like, finding out one week before the holiday that my sister-in-law decided she did not want to host dinner at her house, which had been tradition for years. It's okay, I understand the financial burden of it all but now I have to take time to clean and organize a house that isn't very clean at the moment and doesn't have a lot of space to hold guests. I know, we'll figure it out. I'm also not finished with Christmas shopping and, as usual, I'll be stuck in the middle of crowded stores trying to get it all done. But, like every year, it will get done. We haven't watched all of the Christmas movies I've wanted to because everyone has their own busy schedules and we all need to be here and there and by the time the kids are home they are exhausted. It's okay, we've already seen a few movies and we'll squeeze some time for a few more.
Christmas is about celebrating the birth of our Savior, the one who brings peace to the world. What would Christmas be if we didn't surround ourselves with peace? This holiday season I am choosing peace over stress.
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