4 years ago
Sunday, December 18, 2011
The Christmas Spirit
The older and busier I get, the harder I search for ways to feel the Christmas Spirit and the more abundantly I fail. This year has been no exception. I always try to find ways to keep traditions alive and motivate myself to remember what Christmas is all about and more and more I feel like I'm not getting it somehow. This year, I am frustrated by the fact that Christmas is on Sunday for several reasons. One is that I won't get my extra day off work, because we're already closed on Sundays. The other one is trying to put a brief Sacrament meeting in the middle of commercial merriment has me twitching. I know that Jesus is the point. I know that we are celebrating Him and what better way to do so than partaking of His sacrament and remembering Him through song and word. On the other hand though, I struggle with not being able to go to my Sacrament meeting and my parents (one of my favorite traditions) because they are at the same time, and I really want to enjoy Christmas breakfast without having to get dressed up and run off to 45 minutes of church. I AM A WHINER!!! Today in Sunday school we had a brief Christmas program that started me off thinking how ungrateful I am and then an afternoon filled with remembrances as I sat alone in my apartment watching Mr. Krueger's Christmas, Nora's Christmas Gift, and The Forgotten Carols. The last one hit me like a ton in the stomach and I felt myself tearing up as Jeff McLean belted out the immortal words "Let Him In." If I am struggling with the Christmas Spirit, it is because I have forgotten the whole point. As the play continued (and please understand I have seen this play probably a hundred times), I found myself crying at the small things. The Shepherd's testimony that "He was here!" The amazing spirit behind, "I cannot find my way." And my all time favorite, "Arise and Shine Forth." These may be the forgotten carols, but for me they are the ones that find a way into my heart and make it possible for me to remember the Christmas Spirit.
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1 comment:
Very cool. :) I'm loving the fact that Christmas is on a Sunday because for the very first time, we'll be having our OWN little Christmas at home rather than being at one of the relatives' houses. I have to be here for the Primary program in church, so we get the opportunity to start our family traditions. It will be awesome! I hope your church is fantastic too--I bet you'll be blown away by how quickly and deeply the Christmas spirit overcomes you as you sit in Sacrament meeting. Merry Christmas!!
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