What do you Expect?

Jolly
Merry and bright
Silent
Holy
Perfect cutout cookies
Goodwill toward men
Well thought-out gifts
Peace
Family harmony
Gratitude
Beautifully decorated packages
Generosity
Merry
Well-appreciated feast
Calm
Joyful and triumphant
Snow
Laughing, appreciative children
Bustle

The best time of the year

This is what we expect from Christmas. Is it any wonder we are usually disappointed? Is it any wonder that we can't seem to capture that elusive Christmas Spirit? Whatever that is?

People tend to depression and stress during the holidays. We don't feel whatever it is we're supposed to feel but we assume everyone else does. So we get depressed.

Perhaps we should look at Christmas as a gift. We don't know what the day or the season holds. Maybe it will delight us. Maybe it will be socks. But, to use my favorite phrase, it is what it is.

Instead of wanting Christmas to conform to our expectations, perhaps we need to drop the expectations and accept whatever the season brings.

I've found that as I've tried to do this, I feel more of the Christmas Spirit than I had for a long time. It's not a thing that can be grasped. It almost seems to come to those who aren't looking for it.