It came without ribbons
It came without tags
It came without packages boxes or bags
It doesn’t feel like a year since last Christmas. I think that honestly this year I am emotionally ready for last Easter! It has been one of those years where both so much has happened and yet so little has changed that my head feels like it’s playing a constant game of topsy turvy.
I’ve watched friends go a little bit mad trying to figure out presents and surprises and magically moving elves (Freya help us who even thought to invent Elf on a Shelf?!), and I’ve sort of stood here bemused and tried to figure out the why of it all.
But, as has often been the case these last few years, this Christmas has reminded me of what this time of year is really supposed to be about. It isn’t, and never has been, about the Dolly in the Corner, it’s about everything else. It’s about the smile on a loved ones face, it’s about morning coffees and winter walks and even mutual annoyance at the weather. It’s about traditions that can bend without breaking and knowing each other well enough to realize when that’s necessary. It’s about stories and memories and…everything else that you can’t wrap up.
This has been a challenging year. I suspect it’s been a challenging year for everyone. Heck it’s been a challenging several years.
At this darkest time of year, I am again reminded that there is still the light of hope on the horizon. And perhaps because of that, my heart is full and at peace…and as they say, ‘that’s what Christmas is all about’
And now, as always, I say some words to the close and holy darkness…and I sleep
Merry Christmas everyone