A Little Bit More

'Tis the season for Christmas decorating and Hallmark Christmas movies with an abundance of cat-on-lap! (Even though, in this picture, one can clearly see that Sweetie was changing the channel...lol!)

'Tis the season for remembering Christmases past when you put those handmade ornaments on the tree! (And sometimes missing dear friends who hold a special place in your heart, even though they may be far away...or in heaven.)

'Tis the season for Christmas knitting! (Even though you started too late...again this year...it is pretty exciting to see if you can make it by the Christmas deadline!)

'Tis the season for crafting Christmas cookies, candies, and other goodies! (Even though you discovered a pinhole in your chocolate squeeze bottle, which made more of a mess than this photo shows...but it was CHOCOLATE, so I just licked it up...lol!)

'Tis the season for Christmas carols, cinnamon tea, colorful socks in greens and reds, and all the bells and whistles! (Even as we remember the birth of a baby, a child who shivered in the cold, and who came to give us the greatest gift of all!)

I am not sure of the actual date of Jesus's birthday, and it probably is not December 25... And yes, there is a lot of commercialism built up around the Christmas season... And yes, it is fun to give and get presents, so much fun that we often forget about Jesus in the mix... But is it wrong to indulge in the joy of the season, commercialized as it may be?

Whether we participate in gift giving this season or not, even the Grinch himself reminded us, originally in 1957, that Christmas is more than the commercial hype:

It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes and bags. And he puzzled and puzzed 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What it Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.

It is ok to indulge in the commercial, Christmas spirit. It is more than ok to love one another through the season, bringing the light of Christ into all we do...which Jesus followers should be doing all year long! It is ok to say, "Merry Christmas!," as a warm, December greeting to anyone you meet.

It is not ok to overspend, beyond our means, to give extravagant gifts in order to out-do other gift givers, or last Christmas...that just gets us in debt. It is not ok to look down on others because their traditions are different than ours, or because we have not taken the time to understand the significance of those traditions...that makes us intolerant. It is not ok to respond negatively (like the Grinch at the beginning of the book) to someone who wishes you a merry or happy anything, even if you do not celebrate that particular "anything." If that happens, just smile and say, "Thank you," then offer your warm greeting to the next person you meet.

Christmas is a little bit more, Dr. Seuss. The idea of Christmas brings with it warm thoughts and fond memories of loving relationships, good food and nourishment for the soul. I say it every year, and 2017 is no exception, I wish the Christmas spirit (holiday joy, winter wonder) could last through the whole year. It would make the world a nicer place if we all did our best to regularly be as warm and welcoming as Christmas dinner at Grandmother's house.

Please, don't be a grinch at Christmastime...unless your heart has already grown three sizes, and you are ready to carve the roast beast!

Thanks for stopping by, Knit in Good Health, and...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!