Love/Hate the Holidays

Ok, hate may be too strong a word, but I do have a see saw relationship with the holidays this year. One day I am up all giddy with excitement and anticipation and the next day I crash and burn with busyness. I was pretty bummed about it yesterday. Gabe and I both have had a hard time with it not "feeling" like Christmas. Could be that it is still 80 degrees outside or the fact that we have been so busy that we can't stop to enjoy all the lovelies that the holidays bring. It is now days before Christmas and we have only done two of the advent candles. We started our homemade Christmas ornaments last weekend and they still sit in the garage unfinished. We were supposed to make hot cocoa tonight and go see all the Christmas lights, but that got moved back because we are TOO BUSY!!!! Ugh! The word "busy" seems to haunt our family. No matter what we clear from schedules, there is never enough time to just live and enjoy those around us. VENT VENT VENT Phew, now that I got that out of my system... let me share what I would rather be doing. I would rather be making Christmas cookies with the kids and Gabe, sipping on hot cocoa. I would rather be snuggled up with Gabe watching a beautiful fire in the fireplace. I would rather be taking walks and bike rides as a family. I would rather have a relaxed, uneventful evening(no meetings, obligations, or "projects") I would rather just slow down long enough to spend that extra time at the neighbors getting to know them. I would rather be so completely focused on the Lord that the busyness wouldn't get to me. Hmmm.... Maybe that's my problem. Maybe, just maybe, my focus has shifted to things that don't deserve my full attention. My Lord and Savior does however deserve my undistracted and focused attention. Let me get my priorities back in order here. First God. Second Gabe. Third Isaac and Julia. Notice that house projects and errands are NOT at the top of the list. May your Christmas holiday ,and frankly everyday, be focused on worshiping God and living to serve, honor, and glorify Him!