JOY to The World
There are handmade gifts I wanted to make…
Goodies I wanted to bake for neighbors…
Gifts I couldn’t buy for those I love…
Crafts I wanted to create with the boys…
Cleaning and organizing I wanted to tackle before the New Year…
People I wanted to soak up the season with…
Pictures I wanted to take…
Christmas cards that still need addressed…
Traditions I wanted to start…
Presents that still need wrapped…
People I wanted to reach out to during this season…
Making “a Christmas to remember” often makes me feel inadequate, even guilty. The days of December fly by at rocket speed. The schedule is filled with bustling activity. There are responsibilities and commitments of plenty.
Just as these expectations and intentions send me into a tailspin, I hear four little voices energetically enter the house belting “Joy to the World” in happy unison. They sing it without reservation. They sing it without guilt. They sing it with pure JOY.
This is the blissful reality check I desperately needed. Even when it seems like a million things are left undone, there are so many meaningful things being accomplished that I hadn’t even “planned”. We ARE making this a Christmas to remember; Not in the extraordinary gifts or gestures, but in the simple joys that encompass our home. These kinds of joys don’t make it onto a checklist.
There is JOY, MUCH JOY to celebrate.
“Joy to the World , the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, and Heaven and nature sing!
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains repeat the sounding joy!
He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness, and wonders of His love.
And Wonders, And Wonders, Of His Love.”
It’s the season of miracles and my hope is that yours is filled with this kind of JOY!
Photo Credit: Hillary Kladke
Beautiful. And, so, so true. Children have such pure clarity when it comes to the meaning of Christmas. It’s US- we, the adults- who are at risk of forgetting and losing sight. The other night, I came upon my son, his two little sisters on his lap, sitting by the light of the tree. “What are you doing?” I asked. “Telling them a story?” “Oh. Are you making it up? Is it about reindeer?” “No, Mama. I’m telling them about Jesus coming.” MY reality check.
Christmas through the eyes of my children is the only Christmas I want to celebrate. This is beautiful!
I just happened upon your blog just now after googling to find something to make with my little’s, that is Christmasy with rice krispys and came across your post on making a cake out of rice krispys. I think I was meant to read this post today…really needed the wisdom of your words and to be reminded to just enjoy the joy I am surrounded by. What a gift if was to find the unexpected treasure of your words, while looking for a recipe. Thank you. I pray that your home is filled to the brim with joy, peace, love and hope! Lori
perfectly said
Thank God for little boys! So glad they were able to help you stop and cherish the moment.
I agree that December goes by all too quickly. I think we all need to start a holiday season in Spring that requires only much time spent with friends we don’t get to see often enough!
Great post! Thanks for the reminder, I can relate to what you are saying about feeling like I’m never going to accomplish everything that I wanted to “do”, but we have joy every day on the journey toward Christmas!
There was so much more I had hoped to do, too….but time just has not allowed half of it. We have been creating some great memories here at home with our Elves and learning about Baby Jesus (the kids LOVE our nativity Advent calendar). I know they won’t care about all the things we didn’t do…as long as we cherish the things that we did together 🙂
Amen!