White Christmas
Christmas is one of my favorite times of year. It isn’t only the school break, or the presents, or the fancy lights. It isn’t even really about the snow. Unfortunately, sometimes I have to remind myself of this.
Every year, as it gets closer to Christmas, I start to worry about snow. Not that there will be too much, or the pipes will freeze, or that I’ll have to help shovel off the driveway. I worry that there won’t be any snow. For some reason, I have linked Christmas cheer with the amount of snow on the ground. When there is a lot of snow, I feel more excited for Christmas. When there isn’t much snow, however….
I love the happy feeling you get from Christmas. It’s the kind of cheer that makes you feel warm, nice, and safe. However, when I’m so busy stressing about the weather forecast, I have no time to anticipate the holidays. I feel anxious and worried, and I don’t give myself a chance to enjoy Christmas.
Christmas Measured in Memories
The thing I’ve realized, though, is that Christmas isn’t measured by how cold it is, or how much snow is on the ground. It’s measured in the memories we make, and the moments we share. After all, people in Florida or Texas still celebrate Christmas. The lack of snow there doesn’t dampen their holiday cheer.
We drove through the lighted floats in the annual East Peoria Festival of Lights Winter Wonderland the other day, something my family loves to do every year, and I loved driving the car through all the beautiful displays of Christmas lights, listening to Jingle Bells playing on the radio. When I got home, I figured out why I want the snow to fall so badly.
Snow is a Reminder
Just as the lighted display makes me happy, remembering all the years that we’ve gone and loved seeing all the lights, snow is a reminder for me of past years of Christmas celebrations. I remember when my siblings and I would meet up in one person’s room to impatiently wait for the parents to wake up, or we’d run outside to play in the snow. Seeing snow outside my window helps me remember all the years of holidays, and it’s those memories that I crave, not the snow.
Even though snow reminds me of those great years, I don’t need snow to remember them, and I don’t need snow now to make new memories. Snow might help me get excited for Christmas, but I definitely don’t need it to be happy. So, white or not, I’m determined to enjoy my Christmas. Merry Christmas! See you next week!
“Reprinted from Hagel Publications, Inc. dba as Courier Newspapers”