Thanksmas

Christmas time!! Oh how I love it!! The cold air just smells like Christmas to me. When Fall has given up and everything is gray and muddy I love to see how the snow comes in and just smooth’s everything out. That is what I feel during this time of year, I feel like I am being smoothed, refined. I have heard all the “Bah Humbug” arguments against this time of year “it is too commercial nowadays” and “Shouldn’t we focus on being good ALL year round?!”  and let me tell you, I ignore them all! It is not that I don’t see the worldliness creeping in to tell us that to have a truly Merry Christmas we need to “BUY ALL THE THINGS!!!” but I see past that to something that I think rings true about this time of year. People tend to be kinder during this time of year, more generous, slower to anger and more willing to focus on family and friends. I don’t think it is a bad thing that there is a time of year when we try harder. After all do we not feel like better, kinder versions of ourselves when we go to the temple? When we are with family? When we attend baby blessings, baptisms, conference? Allowing ourselves to slow down, refocus and enjoy the change in routine is refreshing. Lest you think that I have forgotten about Thanksgiving I have not. I consider Christmas and Thanksgiving as working together (Thanksmas!) to get us to refocus on what is important.  My challenge to each of you (all 5, 10, 15… I am not sure of our circulationJ) is to not give into the stress of this time of year but allow it to smooth you, no matter how hard this past year was look at this time as the respite from the routine, an escape from whatever stress has taken away the day to day joy of living. Okay, I am off my soapbox but I am going to slip it in (hopefully I am the first to do so), have a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!!

-Kristin