This time next week Christmas Day will be winding down. The excitement and joy of finding presents under the tree and the Christmas Eve offerings gone, sure proof that Santa has been to visit with his reindeer, will have passed. The kids will hopefully be tucked up in bed after a full-on day of gifts, family, fun, laughter and too much food. I love Christmas Day and I’m especially looking forward to this year. This year there won’t be tension, there won’t be juggling and there won’t be me trying to keep the peace. Turns out I will have the kids all day and I couldn’t be happier! They’re off to see their Dad on Boxing Day, spending the day with his side of the family, so they have two exciting, fun days to look forward to.
The magic of Christmas trees and fairy lights
While the lead up to Christmas can be stressful and definitely not cheap, this year hasn’t been too bad. I got myself organised pretty early with the main big gift for the kids and haven’t gone too far over the top with the other bits and pieces they will be receiving. They receive gifts from all the family so they always end up doing very well in the gift department. Not as much as some kids but more than others, so I’m thankful. Master E is at that magical age of just being able to believe. To believe wholeheartedly that Santa is this lovely, jolly old man in a red suit that flies around the world in his magical sleigh, delivering gifts to all the children of the world. I love the innocence of that. I love that when we go to the shopping centre he oooh’s and ahhh’s at the decorations adorning the mall. “Look Mummy, look at that one!” I love that it’s all special and sparkly and exciting for him. Kids deserve magic and fun and that’s what Christmas time is all about for us. That and spending time with the people we love and care about. Miss E isn’t quite there yet. She loves the pretty, sparkly lights and gladly eats the small chocolate that her advent calendar provides every morning, but she isn’t a fan of Santa and hasn’t quite worked out what this Christmas thing is all about. She’ll probably be more into next year.
So with Christmas comes the party season. You know those crazy Christmas catch-ups and work shows where the alcohol flows and people’s shenanigans provide fodder for the rest of us to talk about? Yeah, yeah, I haven’t been to any Christmas shows like that for years either, but going by my news feed on Facebook, some people still go to these. This year though, I did get to go out for a beautiful dinner with my work mates as our end of year/Christmas catch up. It was really nice to be able to sit and chat to everyone together as we don’t often get to work with each other due to the nature of the hours and shifts we do at the airport. A glass of wine or two, great food and great company, what more could you ask for?
Christmas drinks, yes please!
This time of year is such a happy time for so many but it’s also a time of great loneliness and sadness for others. Sometimes it’s a great big confusing mess of feelings. I consider myself really lucky that I haven’t experienced any major losses in my life. My family is small but close-knit and we get to spend important holidays like Christmas together, all four generations of us. When I see and hear others stories at this time of year it prompts me to reflect on just how lucky I am. There are those without family, whether it is through loss or estrangement. There are parents fighting to keep their families together or desperately trying to get them back. There are families kept apart by illness and disease, children spending there Christmas day in hospital. Parents who are struggling to keep their children fed with a roof over their heads, let alone buy them Christmas gifts. There are people in other countries that are currently living a nightmare, not knowing whether they will wake in the morning or if their loved ones are even still alive. A bit sad and gloomy but this is the state of the world we live in. While wallowing in these thoughts isn’t great for anyone’s state of mind being aware and acknowledging that not everyone’s Christmas is all sparkly, special and fun puts things into perspective.
Hello?
So although there won’t anyone special waiting under the mistletoe for me this year (hello? where are you?) I am feeling very fortunate. I have two beautiful children (not biased at all!), an awesome loving extended family, some great friendships that I promise to keep nurturing (I’ll never slack off again!) and a job I enjoy. Master E is excitedly starting Kindy (pre-school) next year and Ella is blossoming into the funny, loving and independent little girl she was destined to be. While there is always room for growth and improvement, my life is going pretty well right now. Christmas is a time for joy so that’s what I’m going to focus on for the next week in the lead up to Christmas Day. Then it’ll be New Years and I for one, am seriously looking forward to the New Year!
Merry Christmas everyone xxx
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