The voice of Christmas past sometimes gets stuck in my head, and makes me a little sad. I remember how fun it was when all my kids believed in Santa. They were so easy to please then, with inexpensive little toys and trinkets. Every family activity I suggested was received with enthusiasm, and I felt like a rockstar with very little effort! I miss that.
Fast forward to now, with a house full of teenagers. Nobody really wants to help decorate the tree. The items on their lists are expensive, and there is no way Santa can afford to make all their dreams come true. It’s hard to find an activity that everyone will agree to participate in.
Sometimes I also hear the voice of Christmas yet to come…or maybe it’s the voice of Christmas that should be. My brain says that Christmas would be more magical if I had a bigger house (to fit all these people) or a prettier tree. It tells me that it would be more fun if I could afford to give more expensive gifts or provide Christmas to other needy families.
If I’m not careful, my brain will tell me that things that were better back then. Or that Christmas will be better when…fill in the blank. That kind of thinking will create nothing but sadness and discouragement for me. Those are not the emotions I want to be feeling at Christmas time! Those sneaky little sentences in my brain are the things that will keep me from fully enjoying the magic of Christmas!
Instead, I choose to focus on the beautiful things in my life this Christmas. I’m loving the weather and the beauty of the world around me. I love that we don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning, and that Jeff and I won’t be up all night putting together complicated toys. I love that my kids are old enough to do their own Christmas shopping. They put so much thought into what they want to give. I love that we’ve narrowed it down to just a few simple traditions that are important to everyone. I love that things are quieter and simpler this year, giving me time to focus more on my Savior, who is the reason for all of it.
Christmas present is just as beautiful and magical as any Christmas past or Christmas yet to come. That’s because the magic is never created by what’s happening around us. It’s created by the thoughts we choose to think.
What is one thought you are thinking this Christmas that creates magic for you?
