Here I sit, in a Starbucks in Vancouver, listening to jazzy
Christmas songs. I am fortunate to have a friend in the city that welcomes me
any time I need a place to escape the north, collect my thoughts and
write. Starbucks is packed with Christmas shoppers that need to take a break
and refuel. As I happily tap on my laptop, the barista in front of me is
dressed in a red festive Starbucks t-shirt with a saying on her back: “Let
There Be Bright”. I don’t really know what it means, however I take it as a
positive Christmassy message.
I love Christmas. This year, I have been reflecting on exactly
why I love it so much. Of course, the obvious and most important—Jesus was born
and because of Him and His life, we have hope and salvation for eternal life.
There are other reasons attached to the season that hold
significance for me. Gary Chapman wrote a book called The Five Love
Languages. He talks about how we all have one primary and one secondary
love language. In his book he outlines five ways to express love: gifts,
quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service and physical touch. These
“love languages” translate into “I love you”. I have to admit, my “love
language” is gift giving. It is also “quality time”.
Christmas means family time to me. Our traditions are not
elaborate but they are ours and I cherish them. It is a time where my oldest
son comes home from university and is reunited with his brother and sister. It
is a time where our family shuts down for a few days and just enjoys being
together. On Christmas Eve we dress up
in our best clothes and make fondue, play some board games and eat boxes of
chocolate. We sleep in on Christmas day. Attempting to buy perfect gifts for my
family, I usually end up buying too many of them. We savour our gift opening
and spread it out through the day. We stay in our pj’s, go for walks (in our
pj’s) and work on puzzles. We eat boxed appetizers, brie cheese and jumbo
shrimp rings for dinner so no one has to cook. It is low stress and it is
lovely.
During the week we have more family time. There is no agenda
except being together. We save our turkey dinner until New Year’s Eve, invite
friends to join us, and have the kids invite their friends as well. We have a
house full of all ages and enjoy food and games. The kids often play a “mission
impossible or a “hide and seek survive” game outside. They usually have all-night
board games or movies and I am happy they still want to be at home with us New
Year’s Eve.
My love languages are fed….lots of gift giving and quality
time!
But as I walk the streets of Vancouver, I see people that will
have no gifts at Christmas. Most likely they will not be with family. Some of
them will not even have shelter or enough food. As well, I have a few friends
in the city that are single, Christmas is a difficult time for them and they can’t
wait for the season to be over. I think of the Syrian refugees, the families of
the Paris attacks' victims and so many other people in the world that will not
have their love languages met this Christmas.
I will still treasure my time with my family but this year I
will make more of a conscious effort to pray for those people that will
struggle through the season. And I will count my blessings.
We surely take for he granite "life" in general don't we? Yes, so blessed to have a roof over my head, food in my stomach and bills are able to be paid. Family is the heart of my life with Christ being the head. So loving this post today! Hugs and blessings, Cindy
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed hearing about your Christmas traditions, Loretta.
ReplyDeleteLoretta, I love that you save your turkey dinner for New Year's Eve. And Christmas Day is stress free.
ReplyDeleteA stress-free Christmas with family. What could be better? A lovely post, Loretta - Merry Christmas!
ReplyDelete“Let There Be Bright”. I don’t really know what it means, however I take it as a positive Christmassy message... This made me laugh outloud, Loretta! We, too, have transitioned to a new stress-free family gathering this year. We've planned a Santa Dinner - snackies, followed by desserts. The in-between healthy food can wait for another day. Without massive preparations, I find myself looking forward to our get-together instead of stressing. So nice to hear other families do the same. (I don't know if we'll go for walks in our pj's though. I've seen my husband's pj's. LOL)
ReplyDeletePraying for a stress free Christmas for all of you! Blessings!
DeleteChristmas really is about being with family and friends isn't it? Especially with your love language as quality time! I do often think of those that do not have family here at Christmas. Recently I waited patiently in my car as people crossed the street slowly, bags full of food picked up from The Food Bank just to the right of me. Our economy has been hit hard this year especially in my home province of Alberta. May we be grateful for what God has given us and be Christmas 'bright' even if it is just through prayer for others.
ReplyDeleteI love how you take time, Tracy, when you can to get away and do your writing. To accomplish all you do, my friend, I know you must keep busy. We are all busy in our own ways, but we are so blessed to have Faith, Family and Friends, on top of the material things we have.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like from your story is that you love your family and friends and give each of them quality time. You give God time in your writing, living, and devotional time. I also admire that you manage to give yourself quality time. What a fine balance! What a fine way to celebrate the joy, love, and hope that God, Emmanuel wants us to have and share. I enjoyed peeking into your household during the Christmas season and learning more about celebrating instead of stressing. I am way better than I used to be at this, but I still appreciate seeing how others do this. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Sorry, Loretta, I put Tracy's name in your story. I wish I could just fix this with my red pen. :-)
ReplyDelete