Christmas. Ok lets ponder the meaning.. the birth of Christ. Now I have to admit I do not believe in what this time is meant to represent in the biblical sense. We are all entitled to our own opinions and I consider mine no more correct that anothers but this is my view.
Why do I celebrate it then? Well I suppose it has carried on from generation to generation as a way of expressing their beliefs in a way that represents who they are.
Christmas to me and the way I choose to celebrate it represents the love I have for my family. It is a celebration of what my family means to each other. It is a time of showing my appreciation to them and celebrating all they are to me. That is my Christmas.
Christmas when I was a kid was such an exciting time. I, as most kids, saw it as a time of lots of pressies under the tree and a visit from Santa. It was not till older that I came to appreciate all that Christmas really means to me personally.
When a child we would have wonderful lunches in which we would stuff ourselves full on a hot day with food far more suited to a cooler climate. We would then lay around like large beached whales with a contented grin and swear to ourselves that the next year we would not eat so much..yeah as if !!
We would see cousins that we had not seen for ages. A coming together of childhood innocence and games. A time of sleepovers and giggles till late at night. Oh how I loved these years.
My Grandmother was the centre of the family . She would sit and watch us kids with pure adoration as we opened pressies to squeals of excitement. She worshipped us and after loosing her things have never been the same. But now they are different. A good different too. My mum is now Grandma and I see her watching her grandchildren with the same devotion. Its a comforting sight.
The expectation of Christmas for kids..well mine anyway, can be overwhelming. The Ferals behaviour usually heads on a downwards spiral at this time. Combine that with the ending of the school year and the school holidays it can be a difficult time.
The Ferals , as most I would assume, have a Santa list a mile long. Santa looks at this list I can assure you with a heavy heart as he wonders where the money will come from to make their dreams come true.
Peer pressure does play a part in the items they choose to ask for. They want to have the same as the kid next door so they don't feel different. This Santa though tends to start the shopping around June so what they get and what they ask for often are two different things.
I try to consider their ages and go for the ' cool ' stuff. I like things that encourage them to go out side and play. I want them being kids and enjoying the short years of their childhood.
We all do, myself included, often get wrapped up in the material side of Christmas. We forget about what truly is important. We forget about others who are not so fortunate. We focus on ourselves and our own safe cocoons. Not everyone has a safe haven. I am one of the lucky ones.
So as Christmas fast approaches I have nearly finished my shopping. I have spent far more than I can afford but that's what mums do. I know the excitement at 2.00am .. yes 2.00am .. I am not joking..as the Ferals get up to see what the Big Red Man has brought them, will make it all worth while.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and take from it all that you hope and believe in. If I can have a wonderful day with my Ferals and family then I can honestly say I have received more than I could have ever wished for.
Cheers Dilly xxx
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