This morning I had a serious case of writer’s block.  I had no idea what I was going to write about so I started perusing some of the blogs that I follow.  Then I read Susie Lindau’s Wild Ride.  She has written a fabulous piece about a timeless Christmas classic, It’s A Wonderful Life.  It started me thinking about all the movies and specials that I have watched over my lifetime.  Shows I watched as a child.  Shows I watched with my children and now watch with my grandchildren.  Until recently.

The Discovery

Bah! Humbug!

I have become Ebenezer Scrooge.  It was a very surprising and sad realization.  I L-O-V-E Christmas!  It is one of my favorite times of year.  So?  What happened?  It’s not all that complicated of an answer.  I got busy dealing with life.  I was exhausted from dealing with my dragons and was only going through the motions of our Christmas traditions.  I had lost the Spirit of the Season.

Halloween was just another day that required me to make costumes (extra work) and buy candy I knew I would eat (trick or treat).  Thanksgiving had become a huge family gathering that required me to get and start dinner before breakfast (I’m not a morning person).  Then there was all the extra house cleaning and “stuff” that had to be drug out for decorating (more work).  All I saw was the energy that was required knowing that I just didn’t have it.  So I pushed (for my children) until I was so tired and frustrated that I didn’t even care.

I miss the excitement and wonder that I used to feel around the holidays. How do I get it back?  Then I read Susie’s blog this morning and realized I have been missing out on the things that made the holidays fun.  The movies and the music.  I stopped playing Christmas songs on the piano.  I had stopped singing them.  I would put the movies and specials on for the little ones, but I did not watch them.

The Plan

1. Turn off the negative.  I don’t watch the news because it is so depressing and stressful.  I will not be reading the newspaper this month except for the comics and the stories of love and joy.
2. Crank up the Christmas music!  It is time to fill my home and my heart with music again.  I’ll dig out my favorite cassettes and cd’s and share them with my children.  Our cable service has a “Sounds of the Season” channel that plays Christmas music 24/7.  There are little bits of trivia in text on the screen for each song.
3. Watch the Christmas specials!  My youngest child is only 9 and my older grandchildren have reached that age of amazement.  So, I’ll pop some corn and snuggle up with them.  We can create new memories while I share mine about older siblings and other family members.
4. Put the play back into holiday baking.  Making cookies and Christmas candy should be something fun and shared.  I will include my family in these activities.  In can get a little messy, but the memories created make the holiday.

I will share how this goes in my posts this month.  I will also share some memories of my favorite Christmases.  November is a month of Thanksgiving.  December is a month of love and giving.  What better way to end the year?

May Ebenezer Scrooge stay in the story and out of your heart.  Together we can make this holiday season bright.

Watch the full 1935 version of Scrooge.