Merry Christmas, Deal with it.

  I remember growing up with joyous memories of Christmas. Every Christmas Eve the neighborhood had a Christmas caroling party and all the Dads took the kids out (Moms had to stay home so we could sing to someone)and we would sing our hearts out. To this day I know the words by heart to many Christmas carols. Oh Holy Night, We Three Kings,  Away in the Manger. The Dads used to say they saw Santa in the sky and we would try as hard as we could to see the red nose on Rudolf. 

We would all meet at the Watt's house and have Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, candy, food and fun! Every year we got older and some moved away but we always made it back to the Watt's. 

Later it was just our family and it grew as we got married and had kids. Those were wonderful times too. My Dad (Papa Lou) would write a scavenger hunt for each one of the grandkids and they would race around the house looking for their presents. We also had a glass Pickle ornament ( and old German tradition)  something my kids still remember. 

I am lucky I get that. Lately our Christmas's have changed. My Mom and Sister are no longer with us. New people have entered our lives, things change.  But guess what we are forming new traditions,  forming new relationships and choosing to work at making Christmas special. I want it to be good, so I will make it good. 
By no means is my family perfect. We have had our problems, conflicts, fights, but we want it to work, so it does.
Self fulfilling prophecy's do exist.

I hear so many people say "I hate Christmas". They tire at putting up decorations, being alone, not having family near, having dysfunctional families, making it impossible to enjoy the season, and waiting for it to be done.


May I make some suggestions?  Get involved, volunteer, find someone who feels the same, join a church group, in other words make your own joy. Seek it out. Make it work. 


I am excited and joyous about Christmas. I was the year after my Mom died, the year after I lost my sister to cancer, the year we had little to no money, the year it was just us, the year it was all of us.