Tis the season
It’s that busy time of year, at least for all the grown ups. Time flies by and there is so much to do. Even the kids have activities and projects and places to go. Too much to do sometimes makes people short-tempered or anxious. Suddenly we forget that it is a time of anticipation, wonder, sharing, and smiles.
Even if we haven’t read the story, most of us know about Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. We have seen at least a couple of variations on TV reminding us that generosity is it’s own reward. Most of us don’t think of ourselves as “scroogy.” We would never be that mean or selfish. I think that one of the things that impresses me about this story is that the author reminds us that giving is needed at many levels–certainly to the members of our family, like nephew Fred. However, there is Cratchit, the employee (or fellow student or teacher) and also the donation for “the Poor,” those who are less fortunate that we don’t even know. At the story’s end, we are also reminded that Scrooge changes his whole life, not just one day.
Another old favorite story that I have not read in years is The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney. This book was one that belonged to my mother as a child that I read and reread in my own childhood mostly for the chapter on Christmas. Somehow the joy in the simple preparations of this poor family made an impression on me. They had such fun gluing bits of shiny paper to make ornaments and the author made you truly believe that it was not about getting presents. I ought to read it again just to see if any of that magic is still there.
What about you? Are there things that make this time of year special in your homes and families? What traditions do you have that help you celebrate? Can you tell something about book you have read or a story you have heard or even seen on TV that is a positive memory? Do any of them affect the the things that you do or the way you act?
