Christmas is coming fast but try to slow down. Before you know it Christmas will be over.
Most of us live our lives in a hurry. We hurry to finish school, hurry through meals, hurry through the work week and hurry into retirement. In a twinkle of an eye we have hurried through our lives.
The clock cannot be reset.
Christmas past
The past is in the past and you can’t change yesterday. You can relish, rejoice or regret about yesterday but you can’t change the past.
If you could you, might have spent an extra hour at the lake or an extra day on vacation. You might have given an extra hour to passing ball with your kids or staying an extra hour to help mom clean up the kitchen. You might retract some words that came out of your mouth in a moment of frustration.
The memories are numerous when we look back.
Christmas future
Take a moment and look to Christmas 2020
Let me urge you to take the focus off spending lots of money. Consider drawing names if you have a large group that gathers.
Consider making a donation to a favorite charity this year. Think about giving some time to an agency that needs volunteers in 2020 and be trained and ready to go next Christmas.
Take the focus off eating.
Do you really want to start the New Year ten pounds heavier? Nobody needs five different kinds of pies and cakes. The more you have to eat in your refrigerator the more you will eat. Don’t add to their problem. Make some good food and make it as healthy as possible.
However, take the time to enjoy what you made and try to enjoy it with people who are meaningful to you.
Christmas present
Try to focus on who and what Christmas is all about: A humble family giving birth to a baby in Bethlehem.
Life was surely hectic and crazy for Mary and Joseph. They made the trip to a tiny village to pay taxes. Mary had her baby Jesus and it was in a place where the animals were kept.
Life for them was surely filled with stress. Soon they would leave Bethlehem because they feared for the life of their child. They certainly experienced tiredness and worries.
The old story says shepherds came to see the baby Jesus. Angels appeared in celebration of his birth. Wise men from the East came bringing him gifts.
A lot of attention was given to the little baby.
This season focus on what and who is important before the season is over. Take an extra moment to enjoy Christmas.
Floyd Ingram is the Editor and Publisher of your Clarksdale Press Register. He urges you to enjoy your coffee and spend more time reading your local newspaper.
