Santa Is Gearing Up

With less than one week left before Christmas, Santa is getting things in order before loading his sleigh and tying on the silver bells for his annual flight around the globe.

This time next week, the living room will turn into a big toy box. With empty boxes and used wrapping paper strewn everywhere. The fridge overflowing with leftovers from Mom's house.
But I feel compelled to add a different perspective.

Someone told me 'Happy Holidays" the other day, and as I appreciate the heart felt sintimate, I felt a bit disappointed that they didn't say " Merry Christmas". I Love it when someone says "Merry Christmas". It lets you know that they still remember that the real occasion that we are celebrating is the birth of the Jesus Christ.

I mean, really, if we just do away with the "true" meaning of Christmas, what is left? It's just the Holiday season and we are not really celebrating anything inparticular. I for one, had rather have a purpose to the celebration.

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I Choose To Play

One evening I was surfing away on my laptop and the kids where playing in the play room when my 4 year old son came up to me and closed the screen to my computer. I asked him why he did that. His replay was "I want you to play with me" with such a sweet look on his face. OK. It occurred to me at that moment that one day soon, he will not want to play with me. He will want to play on this Xbox or be outside with his friends. I decided right then and there to banish that laptop until after bedtime. Because if I was smart, I had better indulge myself in him right now and not take his (short)childhood for granted.

When we plan on having children we dream about how much fun it will be to sit in the floor and play with the child. But then at some point we start being less attentive and more self absorbed. Whether it's web surfing or reading our new book, or even just paying the bills. We need to slow down and get back in the floor and enjoy them while they can still be enjoyed.

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