Yesterday, I enjoyed a great Christmas with my family. I am fortunate to have many family members visiting, and enjoyed speaking with many family members in different areas of the United States. Although having a full house can be stressful at times, I feel truly blessed to have them with me.
Watching the children open gifts is always my favorite part of Christmas. I've always been more concerned with giving gifts to others than receiving. I have all that I really need, and sometimes, although gifts are nice, I feel like I have more than I need, or even deserve.
This leads me to what Christmas means to me. The spirit of the holiday is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, not to receive gifts or chow down on a huge meal. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy gifts and a great feast, but I found myself contemplating how blessed I truly am in comparison with many others locally and around the world.
While my children received more gifts than they probably should have, I try hard to help them understand that they need to appreciate what they receive, as many are not as fortunate. Each year, we participate in our churches Angel Tree mission, in which we purchase gifts for local children that otherwise would not experience the joy of receiving gifts. Our children actively participate in the process of selecting gift tags from the Angel Tree, and the wrapping of those gifts.
At church on Christmas Eve, they showed a video of a local charity group that works to help the homeless in Smithfield, NC, an area that is about 15 minutes from my home. At any given point there are many individuals and families without a place to live or a place to eat. Especially at holiday time, I feel like I sometimes have an abundance of comforts while so many do not.
I also find myself reflecting on those that serve our country and may be in harms way. So many families and children cope at holiday time with the fact that a father or mother may be away fighting to preserve our way of life and to bring freedom and hope to others. My heart goes out to those families, and my sincere thanks and appreciation goes out to the brave men and women that serve us unselfishly.
This Christmas and holiday season, I wish all of you comfort, joy, and blessings for the upcoming year. 2010 has been a very positive year for me, and I have been blessed with great friends that have inspired me in countless ways.
2011 is just around the corner. I'm so excited to see what it brings!
