Passing Down the Holiday Spirit

As I methodically pulled out my sharpie and wrote the date on a newly opened carton of rice milk today, I all of a sudden took a double take.  November 16th!? Wait, how did I miss the first fifteen days of November?  And where did October go?  Thanksgiving is next week, and the holiday shopping season is here.  I’m going to blink again and it will be January.

I guess I better get in the holiday spirit.  Time to pull down the decorations, start thinking about a Christmas card, bake some pumpkin muffins, and start shopping.  Most of all, it’s time to set a good example.  How can I teach my boys to be thankful at Thanksgiving, and to find joy in giving on Christmas?  How do I make sure it is more than just big dinners with family and lots of presents?  How can I keep myself from getting stressed from the holiday craziness and be reminded of the simple joys of the season?  This is just the beginning of many, many holidays with my kids, and I want to give them wonderful memories of this time of year.  I want them to have happy thoughts of cozy evenings, delicious meals, time together as a family, and traditions that can be passed down for generations.

Since I don’t have an answer at this moment, I’ll just say that I’m going to try and take it slow, enjoy each day, celebrate every second, and just be with my kids.  We will make some gifts by hand, try some holiday crafts, decorate our tree exactly how they want it, and sing Jingle Bells till we’re blue in the face.  We will write letters to Santa, bake him cookies, cover every square inch of our house in holiday decorations, and drink hot cocoa by the fire.   And at the end of each day, we will talk about what we are thankful for, how blessed we are, and what we can do to give to those in need.  If I can accomplish all of that, I will consider it a success!