Glory, glory, glory, glorious!

by Paige Green

It’s that time of the year—the holidays are upon us. Sometimes the reality of this season is the hustle and bustle of shuffling in and out of department stores and forcing smiles for pictures, when all we are really  looking for is the glorious. As the great Frank Loyd Wright said “Sometimes less is more.” This is what I understand to be true, however, God made me like the Energizer Bunny, so I go. It’s what I do. I just go, and with enthusiasm I might add. That is, until I crash.

The Christmas season is such an exciting time. There are just so many experiences to be had and traditions to make. Santa brunches, special church services, get togethers with girlfriends, gift exchanges, cookie exchanges, house decorating, parties to throw….the list goes on and on, and I love all of it. Truly.

My big dilemma every year is how to pack all these festive opportunities into such a short time. I guess you could say I suffer from a major case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Some of this is me wanting to provide magical, unforgettable Christmas experiences for my kids. I think sometimes I try so hard that I end up missing the mark a bit.

Looking back over the years, I now question how many of those experiences took my breath away. How many of them had me feeling filled with joy and closer to God? I’m not sure the answer is what I would like to believe it to be. 

I have a deep sense of yearning to regroup and envision how I want to model celebrating Christmas for my kids. How do I want them to think about the season? I’m pretty sure that if I heard them say their experience as a child was just getting shuttled around from event to event, as if fulfilling some sort of holiday agenda, my heart would break. When they are asked what our family holiday traditions are, what do I want that answer to be?

Here are the images that come to mind: Us sitting together in church singing Christmas Carols, helping people, providing Christmas for families in need, celebrating with our friends and family in our home, and intimate prayers together as a family beneath our Christmas tree by flickering candle light. If I could pick just one, it would be prayers beneath the tree. I can see the hot cocoa, and the dimly lit room with sparkling lights. Memories of hearing my children’s prayers and singing Silent Night with them. Quiet moments bringing the season back to the root of what we are celebrating, back to the GLORIOUS!

Paige Green is the Mom Around Town who lives life to the fullest with her kids in tow. She is  a freelance writer, blogger, actress, and a fifth-generation Seattleite. You can read all about her adventures on her website, Mom Around Town.