Does Anyone Here Know...What Christmas Is All About?

Today, November 28th, is the first Sunday of Advent. I see some neighbors have their holiday lights lit and I've read the posts of those already done with Christmas shopping (I loathe you people...okay, not really...maybe just a little bit.)

I just cleaned up from Thanksgiving dinner. We're still choking down the turkey leftovers. And now I hafta think about Christmas? Isn't it bad enough the holiday music began the day after Halloween, now I need to get the tree up before December 1st? Somebody just shoot me...it would be much less painful.

Somewhere along the way I lost the holiday spirit. I am hoping UPS will be delivering it any day now along with the first purchases from Amazon.com. I really try to keep the focus on the birth of the Christ child, but the next few weeks are so busy it gets really hard: cards to write, cookies to bake, gifts to wrap, trees to decorate, final papers and exams, and this isn't even counting the birthdays and anniversaries sprinkled throughout the month. This is gonna require A LOT of liquid Christmas cheer...

Luckily, I have my copy of "A Charlie Brown Christmas." The link above never fails to bring a tear to my eye and one of my favorite Christmas memories to mind.

It was Christmas Eve and we were attending the childrens Christmas Mass at our church. Our son was a shepherd in distress because he couldn't get through the angels to join the rest of the shepherds; one of the angels was crying because the paper flame from her candle fell off leaving her with just a wrapped paper tube; and the three kings appeared to be playing football with their "gifts" for the baby Jesus. Just as Father was processing to the altar, our oldest daughter (about two years old at the time) jumped up on the pew and proceeded to inquire at the top of her lungs:

"Does anyone here know...what Christmas is all about?"

And repeated the inquiry in a volume I didn't know she possessed until I removed her from Mass. Father thought the question very appropriate; I was waiting for social services to come take my children as it was apparent I let them watch way too much Charlie Brown.

Happily, they let me keep my children and we have a memory that never fails to make me smile. So, enjoy your decorating, don't get stressed, and take time to remember what Christmas is all about. You never know when you may be accosted by a passionate two-year old determined to remind you.