JOYFUL WORDS
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Hospitality
  • About Sheri

Christmas Didn'ts

1/4/2016

1 Comment

 
God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Sorry I missed saying those words before those holidays past us by but I unplugged for two weeks and filled the time with  family, friends and a trip to Kansas.  It was a great trip and the long hours in the car gave me some great time to think and reflect on the holiday and the year that has evaporated right before my very eyes!  Christmas is always so much fun but it never really plays out exactly the way I picture it in my mind.  I was reminded of all the things “I didn’t do” when we got home from Kansas and I sat opening all of the beautiful Christmas cards that came in the mail.  Sending cards was on this years list of “to do’s” but I’m sad to say instead it made it to the list of “Christmas didn’ts”.

I love turning the page to December 1 and the feeling of hope and enthusiasm that goes with it.  This year I had great plans to send lovely cards with our family picture and a creative family newsletter.  I planned to decorate beautifully and maybe even use some real evergreen for the first time.  I was going to remember to thank all the people who help our family like the mail lady, the ladies at the bank, the folks at the gas station and the dozens of other kind helpful people who touch our lives and let them know they are appreciated.  I really wanted to go to a nursing home and visit someone lonely or choose a child that needed a special gift at Christmas.  I wanted to find some parents who needed a boost to make Christmas merrier.  I wanted to reach out with joy to someone who needed to know the love of the season. I was even gonna go all out and do the shopping on a December date that didn’t begin with a 2 and I was going to have the wrapping done days before the unwrapping.

You might be wondering how it all turned out.  Did my plans become reality you might wonder…well…not so much!  I didn’t send cards but I love reading all the ones I got from those of you who lovingly mailed them.  As for the decorating…well…yeah, about that; here’s how it went down.  Since the tree set up is an annual relay race between Jason and Shannon which is a show in itself, set up couldn’t happen until Shannon got home from Ohio for Christmas break.  In fact the tree didn’t even go up until the 13th.  Instead of adding something new like fresh greens to the holiday decor, I left half of the decorations in the attic and didn’t put them up at all.  It’s still festive; I guess you could even call it “vintage” if you define that as old, mismatched, handmade and simple.  I’m sure Martha Steward would gasp and perhaps even require medical attention if she stopped by 12777 Pratt Road for a peek.  As for the plan to share treats and Christmas cheer, that was pretty much a bust too!  I didn’t even make goodies this year.  I didn’t make the holiday easier or brighter for anyone who was lonely or in need and I feel pretty rotten about that.  I finished the shopping just in time to put it in the car and leave for Kansas and I wrapped presents Christmas morning.  I think it’s fair to say it was a Christmas DIDN’T!

I suppose I could leave it at that and feel like a holiday flop but that would be wrong.  The Wise Men didn’t arrive right away so I’ve decided I still have time.  Christmas is a season not a day.  According to the Church calendar, I have until the 10th of January to celebrate so I plan to do just that!  When I began to think about all my “didn’ts” my mind drifted to my “dids” I had to remind myself about all the things that were great. The older I get, the more I am beginning to realize the moments and events I don’t plan are often the best of all.   I didn’t plan to get a bean bag game designed for the lawn for Christmas and I certainly didn’t plan to play game after game with it in the dining room but it was a hoot!  I didn’t plan to go offline for two weeks but I did and that time was replaced with cards and games and coffee by the Christmas tree.  I didn’t decorate and bake in a way that was magazine worthy but we enjoyed the goodies given to us by others.  I think the biggest didn’t will lead to the biggest did.  Even though we didn’t reach out to others the way I intended; that’s the part of Christmas spirit that I will hold in my heart and honor for the next twelve months.  Instead of the twelve days of Christmas, I’m going to do one day of Christmas for twelve months.  While staring at the manger on the altar in church I decided I will pick one of those things I didn’t do, like make a thank you tray of goodies, visit someone lonely or offer a gift to someone struggling each month and spread Christmas out all through 2016.  For any of you reading this who feels like they had a few Christmas didn’ts…why don’t you join me and give a little Jesus all through the year rather than jamming it all into two weeks in December.

A Seed To Plant:  Make a list of people who need a little Christmas love all year and make a plan to deliver a little Newborn King to each of them.

Blessings on your day
1 Comment
MaryAnn
1/5/2016 08:19:09 am

I have more didn'ts than dones also. Thanks for sharing. good to know we are not alone.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Joyful Words magnet picture

    ​Click on the items below to expand the options available to you to explore the Joyful Words blog.

    Categories

    All
    1 Corinthians
    1 John
    1 Thessalonians
    2 Corinthians
    Acts Of Love
    Advent
    Ageing
    All In
    Amazing
    Anxiety
    Armor Of God
    Asking For Help
    Bad Habits
    Balance
    Baptism
    Be
    Beauty
    Being Gracious
    Blessed Mother Teresa Of Calcutta
    Blessing
    Blessings
    Brokenness
    Carry Our Cross
    Catholic Education
    Change
    Changes
    Cheerfulness
    Children
    Choices
    Christian Belief
    Christmas
    Colossians
    Commitment
    Comparisons
    Compassion
    Consistent
    Content
    Contentment
    Courage
    Crosses
    Crumbs
    Dad
    Daughters Of God
    Delight
    Desire
    Desire God
    Details
    Dicipleship
    Die To Self
    Discipleship
    Dissapointment
    Dying To Self
    Easter
    Ecclesiastes
    Education
    Election
    Encouragement
    Enemy
    Ephesians
    Evangelization
    Exodus
    Expectations
    Faith
    Faithfulness
    Falling Short
    Family
    Fathers Love
    Fear
    Flag
    Footstool
    Forgiveness
    Fresh Start
    Friendship
    Fr. Mike
    Fr. Mike Schmitz
    Galatians
    Generosity
    God In Everyday Things
    God In Scripture
    Gods Beloved
    God's Enough
    God's Forgiveness
    Gods Gifts
    God's Guidance
    God's Love
    Gods Love
    God's Plan
    Gods P Lan
    God's Restoration
    Gods Strength
    God's Timing
    Gods Timing
    Gods Ways
    God's Will
    Gods Will
    Goodness
    Good News
    Grace
    Grandma
    Grandpa
    Gratefulness
    Gratitude
    Greatness
    Gretness
    Grief
    Happiness
    Healing
    Heart
    Heaven
    Hebrews
    He Chose Me
    Holiness
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Thrusday
    Holy Thursday
    Holy Week
    Hope
    Humble
    Humility
    Identity In Christ
    Intimacy
    Isaiah
    James
    Jeremiah
    John
    Joshua
    Joy
    Judgement
    Justice
    Kids
    Kindne
    Kindness
    Labor
    Laughter
    Lent
    Lessons
    Light
    Listening
    Little
    Love
    Lovelies
    Luke
    Mark
    Marriage
    Mary
    Matthew
    Meekness
    Mercy
    Mom
    Mornings
    Mud
    Obedience
    Openness
    Parenting
    Parentng
    Patience
    Peace
    Pentacost
    People
    Perseverance
    Perspeceive
    Perspective
    Philippians
    Pioneers
    Pleasing God
    Poor
    Porch
    Positive
    Possibilities
    Pray
    Prayer
    Priorities
    Promises
    Proverbs
    Psalm
    Relationship
    Religion
    Respect
    Romans
    Sacrifice
    Sacrifices
    Sainthood
    Saints
    Samuel
    Scripture
    Seeking God
    Service
    Serving God
    Signs
    Silence
    Simple
    Sin
    Sinfulness
    Slow Down
    Small Stuff
    Steve Ray
    Stillness
    St. Mary's 4th Of July
    Strength
    Stress
    Suffering
    Surprises
    Surrender
    Temptation
    Thanks
    The Right Thing
    Time
    Troubled Times
    Trust
    Trust In God
    Truth
    Understanding
    Unravelled
    Valentines
    Waiting
    Weddings
    Word Of The Year
    Words
    Works Of Mercy
    Worry


    ​Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012


    Back to Home

    RSS Feed


      HOME                        BLOG                       SPEAKING                        WRITING                        HOSPITALITY                        MEET SHERI  

CONTACT: 989.640.6673
Picture
EMAIL

FACEBOOK

Twitter

Content is the intellectual property of Sheri Wohlfert 2017
Created by dhengesbach
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Hospitality
  • About Sheri