Meaning of Christmas

Christmas to many of us means our regular pace has picked up incredible speed. In addition to the things we usually do everyday, we throw in additional tasks of shopping for just the right gift for family and friends, take extra care to wrap each well-chosen item festively and beautifully, begin the baking frenzy, decorate the tree, the inside and outside of the house, and .......we could keep going, couldn’t we?

Amidst all the joy and good will and all the warm fuzzies we get this time of year, does it ever get to be just a little too much for you? It does sometimes for me . . . my pace can get so frantic and busy that I need to stop and remember what it’s all about.

If you will, consider an unlikely source of Christmas wisdom, the Grinch:

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?
It came without ribbons. It came without tags.
It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled ‘til his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.

What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?” –Dr. Seuss

Hmmmm, a little bit more? . . .

Perhaps part of this "little bit more" could mean creating Christmas instead of buying it. A gift from the heart. Not some gizmo or gadget that will soon disappear, but something that will last in the heart of your recipient forever.

One way I intend to create Christmas is with the help of you. I would love it if you would create an “open letter” to mothers. Share your experiences as a mother, thoughts of being a future mother, thoughts of your mother or a mother-figure in your life. Share your stories—no matter how raw or difficult. Share you concerns—no matter how foolish they may seem. Share your wisdom—no matter how you came by it. Share your mother story. The only request? Start the letter “Dear Mother” and sign it.

For all of you that participate and share a letter, I will have a very special gift for you for Christmas that you could also share with others.

You can send your letter to marniejjohnson@gmail.com. I do need to receive these by December 19th.

I look forward to creating Christmas with you!