Christmas break is 2 weeks off school. If you are a child in school its a “whoowhoo” moment, you don’t have to worry about homework or classes. It’s the same if your an adult in school, until it sets in that it December 22nd and you haven’t even started Christmas shopping or wrapping. The “whoowhoo” seems to fade a lot quicker then a child’s “whoowhoo”, their’s seems to last until the morning of the first day back to school, which is when the parents moment comes back for the day. =)
Even through the craziest moments of your break. I hope that you had a very Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year. My Christmas is usually the same every year, Christmas Eve is spent with my entire family about 40 people. We go to a Christmas Eve service then go back to my grandparent’s house and eat, exchange gifts and read the Christmas Story. On Christmas morning I spend it with my parents and siblings and at dinner we head to my grandparents for a small and quiet turkey dinner. Then the next few days I work and try to get over a overload of togetherness. Then comes New Years Eve. My family goes up to our cottage and play board games and eat and eat. This year was almost the same however our family happened to be split between my grandparents’ and the hospitals. Through prayer, love and God’s will, all family members that were in the hospital are out or are improving. On New Years Eve our family has had a tradition of making appaflopas and pofagus (sorry about the spelling this a Dutch pastry and this is how we call it in English).
Super yummy and we only make it once a year. We also had an exchange student from Denmark staying with my Aunt and a few of us family members has been to Denmark, so this year we decided to “jump” into the new year. (Something they do in Denmark for New Years). This entails standing on the couch or chair and when the count down to the new year ends jump off the couch or chair and shout “Happy New Year”. It was cool to see 30 or so people standing on furniture has we counted down to the new year.
There are moments that you may feel that the Christmas season is too much to handle and you rather just not do anything, just hide until its over. Here’s a tip: you can’t just hide from life. I figured out this season that even if things get hard or loud or you feel like you want to give up: DON’T. With all this craziest of running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off, slow down take time to do something for someone else. It makes you feel the Christmas Spirit in a ways you might miss.
This Christmas break I tried to do something different, something that would help others. I kept thinking, oh I’ll change this for next year then remember that I won’t be here next year. (There is a sweet bitterness to that.)
Any ways I hope and pray that this year brings blessings by the bucket full.
Until Next Time.
