Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Going Through The Motions

It's that time of year again. Time to drag out all the boxes of lights and decorations. Time to see family and friends and buy gifts and bake and be jolly. And eat. Lots and lots of eating.

Do you ever just feel like you're going through the motions of Christmastime?

My Christmas cheer seems to be coming and going this year. Right after Thanksgiving I had a few days of "Yay, it's almost CHRISTMAS!!", dragged all my decos down from the loft, started making lists for shopping and baking, all while listening to Christmas music and smelling my "Holiday Cheer" candles burning.

Then it just disappeared.

Most of December I seemed to be just going through the motions. I put up the decorations, got a tree, did some shopping, got my cards sent out. But I just wasn't feelin' it. I was feeling pretty darn Grinch-y. I just wanted Christmas to be over. I wasn't inspired to bake or wrap gifts or even finish up my shopping. But I needed to, so I just got 'er done.

I was really just ready for this year to be done and just kind of "over" Christmas.

I usually love Christmas time. I love the traditions and seeing family and giving gifts and decorating and seeing others' decorations. I love the whole spirit of this time of year.

But for whatever reason, I just wasn't feeling that spirit.

Some how, this past weekend, I got over it.

I think it was when I was wrapping every one's gifts and sticking them under the tree. For some reason, it just doesn't seem like Christmas to me until there are lots of pretty wrapped gifts patiently waiting to be given under my tree. When I finished wrapping and got them all arranged under the tree, I smiled, turned on some Christmas music, lit my "Holiday Cheer" candles and all was right with the world once again.

The pic above is our tree this year, pre-present wrapping extravaganza. Doesn't it just look naked without gifts under it?

Besides being so bright you could probably see it from space... I some how managed to get like 900 lights on it. Maybe 850 since half of one strand went out and I'm not about to try replacing it.

So what about you? What get's you in the holiday spirit?

Merry Christmas!