The Rumblings of Christmas Spirit

I'm not a Scrooge or anything.  I'm not the most Christmasy person either.  Truth be told its not my favourite holiday.  I love decorating and cooking and the general merriment. Though, in my opinion, and likely from too much exposure to the media, it feels like its top heavy on consumerism.  The gap growing each year between what that elusive true meaning of the season and what is now the new meaning of this Holiday.

This year to fight against my own cynicism, I'm doing things my way.  The focus this year for Christmas is not what I'll be shopping for but rather what we'll be doing together as a family.  Far away from the shopping malls.  Oh sure, normally, I will not even listen to holiday songs until December 1st.  I did however, find myself channel surfing in the car again this week and have left it on a Christmas carol or two.  OK, so I'm a sucker for a song that takes me back to a time when Christmas was really special to me.  A time when it was pure magic.  Untainted by what I know now.   I find the religious songs to be my favourite now.

To make this season special and to help distill a more spirited Christmas in my family's memories we've done the Santa Parade with the homemade gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate thing.  I've never seen a batch of cookies disappear so fast!  Tonight we'll head into town and be present for the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.  We'll sing Christmas carols and stop into Tim's for a hot chocolate.  We'll tour the neighbourhoods to take in the holiday lights.

We've already taken a slew of Christmas books from the library and have been enjoying reading all the little tales of snowmen and mice.  We've found some nice books about the first Christmas.  We're working hard on our Christmas lists and Santa pictures.  Thinking hard about those who aren't as fortunate as we are.  Working on ways that we can help provide those people with a little something to make their holiday better.  Always remembering that this holiday doesn't have a "sale" sign on it.  That whether there are gifts under the tree, this holiday will find us.  That we need to be able to keep this holiday in our hearts first before it can go all wrapped up in pretty papers and bows.

The Christmas Spirit is rumbling it's way to the surface.  Warming my heart.  Bringing back the memories of what used to be good.  I'm lucky, I can revisit some of that magic through my children.  Teaching them what is most important about this special time of year.  Giving them the best gift of all, that isn't found under a decked out tree.