Christmas Is Near

It is Wednesday night. Christmas Eve is a week from tomorrow. At my house 99% of the work is done thanks to my wife. My biggest Christmas chore is fixing the family a big breakfast on Christmas morning. I have five more work days before a four day Christmas break. The holidays are something you see coming from far in the distance yet they continually surprise you with their sudden appearance. The autumn and early winter seem to be on an accelerated schedule. Once Halloween arrives, the rest of the year is a blur. The busyness and general excess of the Christmas season are something I kind of enjoy but I also long for it to be over. Even now, before one present has been opened, I look forward to the simplicity and nothingness of January. Still, it would be wrong for me to complain too much. At this time my family is blessed and life is good. Circumstances are allowing my wife and me to be generous to others as we enjoy good times. I am acutely aware that many are not as blessed as I am and for many this is a difficult time. The economy is still challenging for millions of people and Christmas is a stressful time for many. Every time I listen to the traditional Christmas carols I think what an impossible portrait they paint. They present us with a vision and ideal of Christmas that no one can achieve. I think for most people the movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" is a more realistic portrayal. Christmas, at its best, is financially and emotionally stressful, to say nothing of its busyness and sometimes overwhelming demands. Still, most people, including me, look forward to it every year and we do tend to be more thoughtful and caring than we normally are. Of course, for me, having a young child in the family makes it all better. Her excitement lifts my sometimes dragging spirit. Yes, Christmas is near. Bring it on!