Holiday joy

I'm thinking I've had some holidays like this snowman that looks like he's going to crash any second.  That's not what they're supposed to be about though.  So the question is how to get back to what they're supposed to be (Or were they ever what they're supposed to be?)  So what are they supposed to be?  Here's my idea - Thanksgiving is easy.  It's supposed to be about thanksgiving.  Designing the day around that concept would probably keep it from being about slaving in a hot kitchen for hours.  This year I just kept it extremely simple.  Don't tell anybody but I used mixes and short cuts and accidentally got finished with the meal before I had said we would eat.  I had a lot to be thankful for and I wish I had made a list of those things and posted it during the week.  Next year I will.

Christmas - well, the stores had their Christmas decorations up before Halloween was quite over.  So, now I'm thinking about what Christmas is supposed to be.  Why did humans start celebrating it anyway.  Of course, it's about God's sending us himself in human form to help us with our troubling imperfections.  That's something to celebrate for sure!  So - what are some ways to do that? 

Here are some more things I love to do during the lead up to Christmas.  I've collected some Christmas music that I really love.  I play it in the house every day and take some of it in the car to play.  Doing this helps me keep my mind on the joy of Christmas.  I get change at the bank and carry a little purse in my big purse so that I always have some change to put in the Salvation Army red kettles.  I get some potpourri of Christmas evergreens and put it in my car.  Putting birdseed out for the birds is fun even though the squirrels usually get it - whatever. 

I haven't tried this, but plan to this year - on December 1st I plan to begin writing Christmas letters - NOT about my family and our accomplishments to date - but about the person or family I'm writing to.  I want to tell them what I admire about them, what they've contributed to my life and thank them.  I planned to do this several years ago but never got around to it.  I especially wanted to thank the dear woman I called my spiritual mother who was and is responsible for so much of my joy in life that she taught me by her example.  Unfortunately she got sick and died before I could do the letter.  I'm going to use that event as my incentive to really do those letters this year!