Yesterday I had a heavy heart. I thought about the Anderson family all day long. Anything that I had been worried about or consumed by seemed so trivial when I think of this sweet family of six. I prayed and prayed all day long that Ben would pull through this and they could celebrate Christmas together. This year we kept it super simple. I literally wrapped a total of four presents and spent one hour shopping (and a few minutes online!) You see, life really isn’t about those things. It’s not about that new pair of slippers or a shiny coffee maker, those things do matter and won’t matter in a year. It’s about being complete, whole, and happy.
I used to think my mom was full of it when we would ask her what she wanted for Christmas and she would respond with something sweet like, “for you kids to get along and be healthy.” But now I get it, Christmas isn’t about things, it’s about being together and celebrating something so very precious that happened years and years ago. It’s about candle lit church services and Grandpa Sulo reading the Christmas story to us as he does every single year. It’s having an egg bake brunch on Christmas morning and everyone finding a seat whether it be on the couch, the floor, or at the “adults” table! It’s spending time as an entire family, complete, happy, and laughing. It’s filling a plate with chips and chili cheese a million times over and sneaking a shrimp cocktail when you think no one is watching. It’s bloody marys and full glasses of wine. It’s celebrating a new year and fresh starts and giving thanks for the blessings we encountered.
It’s offering a hug, support, advice, a drink, or a smile. Looking back, my mom was so right. We didn’t need that extra doll or toy truck, we just needed each other and the traditions and our family. The older I get the more I cling to those moments when we are complete and whole and happy and healthy. My mom said that someday I would “get it.” I should have known that moms are always right. When we get to sit around on Christmas morning and sip coffee and smile and bask in the fact that from near and far we had arrived “home,” that is what I want for Christmas. This is my favorite time of the year for that reason and for that reason alone. I cherish these moments more and more each time I get them and pray that the spirit of Christmas lasts long beyond December 25. All I want for Christmas is the image of us all together again, enjoying one another, laughing, and celebrating…. can I get a big fat bow on that?
More of my musings can be found riiiighhhttt here:
