It’s December yet again. In my family the Christmas season begins
the day after Thanksgiving, and this year is no exception.
The leftover turkey in the fridge wasn’t even chilled when
the next morn my bride started boxing up the Thanksgiving decorations that had
festooned the house for the past month and started the process of transforming
our home into North Pole City. The tree went up on the 1st and was fully
decorated an hour later.
This may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but in our
garage it’s an archeological excavation to unearth my wife’s well-organized storage
tubs.
Now, don’t misunderstand, I absolutely LOVE what my wife
does to our house during Christmas! She gives our home the Holiday ambiance
that makes this season truly festive for the entire family. (Yes, this is our hearth)
During Thanksgiving we sort of lose the meaning of the day
in the pressure and angst that we bring down upon ourselves. But, in our
family, the month of December provides us with that perspective, and we better
appreciate the Lord’s many blessings poured down upon us.
Even thirty years later I am still so very thankful that I’m
not spending Christmas in the turret of a tank with three other men who, like me, haven’t seen a real bath in weeks! I’m
warm, dry, there's really good food in the house, I’m surrounded by people who
love me, and at night I slide in between clean, warm sheets on a comfortable mattress.
Most people can’t appreciate that sensation, particularly if you've not slept
inside a tank turret or in a cold muddy hole in the ground as it rains or snows.
Think about that tonight as you lay your
head on that nice soft pillow.
But I digress…
Christmas is, for my family, the best time of the year. We
gather with friends and colleagues for parties, we exchange small gifts, thank
one another for the gifts lavished on us all year, and culminate by remembering
that Christ is the reason for the season.
So, from my family to yours a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Website - http://www.mikegonzalesauthor.com/
Merry Christmas to you and yours. And, thank you for your service.
ReplyDelete