Reflections on Christmas

I love Christmas.  I really do. I love finding the perfect gift for everyone on my list.  I love wrapping presents in pretty paper and bows. I love making Christmas cookies (9 kinds this year). I love spending time with family and friends.

I’m not one for organized religion, so for me the Christmas season is about showing the ones you love that you care for and appreciate them.  It’s about being a good and kind person so that others respect you and treat you the same in return.

When I was young, my brother and I would try to stay up all night waiting for Santa.  We never managed to make it the whole night. One of us would usually wake up between two and three a.m. and we would sneak downstairs to see if he’d been there. He always had.  We never touched the presents, just sat on the stairs, staring in awe at the bright packages waiting for us. Then we would run back upstairs to attempt to sleep for another four hours or so.

I do miss that innocence, and I look forward to the day that we can share our Christmas celebration with children.  Watching the faces of the little ones in our is so fun, and I can’t wait to see my own kids run down the stairs Christmas morning to see if Santa came.

Christmas also marks the near-end of another year, which brings mixed feelings. I look forward to whatever opportunities the new year holds (much in the case of 2012), but I also feel a bit sad about the close of the current year.  It marks another year of life passed, another year older, unattained goals.  Sometimes I’m not ready to move on.

This year the changes start early.  I begin my new job in about twelve hours. I’m a bit nervous, but also excited. I’m ready for a change and what better time to do it than at the close of the holiday season.