So, this is Christmas

Of all the Christmas Carols running thru my head today, the John and Yoko Christmas song keeps replaying.  Not your traditional carol or even the novelty songs we sing sometimes.  I wonder why THAT song is ear-worming me this morning.

What does Christmas mean to me, I am wondering.  When you are a kid, it's presents and Santa and time off from school.  As an adult, I consider the holiday to be more about remembering friendships that have made the year better and a time for thanking people who are in my life.  It's certainly not about presents, and since I don't have a small child anymore, it's not about Santa.  The Winter holiday season is about reflecting on your blessings and letting people know you appreciate them.

The whole "Jesus is the reason for the season" thing drives me crazy.  Jesus is ONE reason for the season, not the only one.  I identify as Christian, but there ARE other holidays at this time.  I think that traditionally, Winter was a time when people slow down and had more time to reflect on things and gather together to celebrate life and the year that had passed.

This is Christmas Eve.  When I was a child, we would open our presents on Christmas eve.  My fatehr worked at  a restaurant and usually left for work around 11 pm.  When we were really little, my mom would put us to bed around 7 and scramble to get the presents under the tree and then wake us up telling us Santa had come.  That way, my Dad got to see us open the presents.  Christmas Day the house was opened for friends to stop by and visit.  When we got older,we would open them up around 8 pm.  It was hard to wait!  When I got married and had a child, my then-husband INSISTED we adhere to HIS family tradition of Christmas morning.  It never was the same for me.  I missed the Christmas Eve family time  The "Open one present" thing never worked for me either,  I want to open EVERYTHING Christmas eve.  I still find it hard to wait!

Now with my family scattered all over and unable to get together for one reason or another, this Christmas was a little blue.  I miss my folks.  I baked my mom's anise bells this year for the first time since she passed on.  I made her fruitcake ( she always made it without nuts for me when I became allergic as an adult).  I am looking forward to Christmas dinner with some dear old friends and some brand new ones.  I am making the traditional dish of the Myers family - Lasagna!

Here's another "Christmas Song" lyric that resonates   Greg Lake's "I believe in Father Christmas" ( in which he decries the commercialism of Christmas)

 I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave New Year
All anguish, pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear.
They said "There'll be snow at Christmas"
They said "There'll be peace on Earth"
Hallelujah, Noel!
Be it Heaven or Hell
The Christmas we get we deserve.

So, if you are reading this, thank you for being in my life.  We may not talk every day, except online, but I am blessed to have so many people I can call my friends. May YOU get the Christmas you deserve, and I mean that not in a mean way but may you get all the joy of the season and none of the sorrow.

Merry Christmas!