A little bit Grinchy

“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 (How the Grinch Stole Christmas)

I looked at the calendar this morning and realized today is December 10th...that means Christmas is only fifteen days away! Fifteen days! If I were feeling like my old self, the crafty, creative, person I once used to be...I'd be busy...very, very busy. I'd be baking and knitting and shopping galore, I'd be wrapping and packing and crafting some more. I'd be hanging up tinsel and things on the tree, I'd be happy and merry and laughing with glee. But Christmas this year has been quite a chore...at least I did hang a wreath on the door. My tree is put up and the lights twinkle nicely, but something is wrong, my heart feels quite "ice-ly." I'm achy and cranky and not quite like ME. I think I'm a Grinch, though I don't want to be! Why can't this year be like all the years past? Where things went so smoothly and life was a blast? This year should be special and different you say? But let's face reality, we can, if we may.............okay, I've run out of rhymes, so here's the truth...

Though I can't do what I once did in the past. I've done what I could. When my family comes to visit on Christmas day, hopefully they'll realize things had to be different this year. All my "want to-s" didn't quite make it into action. Instead of getting all tangled up in long lines at the store, Amazon offered a very viable option for me. With the help of the postal service, the gifts I chose were delivered right to my door. There's a lot less to wrap and put under the tree, but this year is different, so very different, you see.

I have been feeling a little Grinchy lately. I've felt like I just wanted to scoop up all of the trappings of Christmas and store them away. It's very overwhelming to feel like I have to perform as I have in years past, especially since it's only been 5 months since my surgery. My body is still healing. It reminds me daily. I'm not as young as I used to be and I'm not as energetic either and that's okay. At least I'm still here and I can celebrate with my family and that's all that matters. My tiny Grinch heart is growing bigger by the minute, I can feel it!

But there’s hope for all of us Grinches. In Dr. Seuss’ story, the Grinch was amazed to discover that despite his attempts to stop Christmas, it “came without ribbons, it came without tags, it came without packages, boxes and bags.” He learned a lesson seemingly lost on many of us: “Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit more.”
Suddenly, the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes bigger. He turned from his grinchy ways. He brought back all the presents he had stolen and every Who down in Whoville forgave him. They gave the Grinch the seat of honor at their Christmas feast and even let him carve the roast beast.

Perhaps as the next few weeks go by, I'll find that my "Grinchiness" has disappeared. I have so much to be thankful for this year and not only do I want to shift my focus from what I can't do to what I can, I want to let the main thing be the main thing. Christmas isn't about gifts, boxes, and bows. It doesn't matter if my home looks amazing with all of the "Better Homes and Garden's" type decorations everywhere. It's about the birth of our Savior, Jesus, and that's what we celebrate. We celebrate the most wonderful gift of all...the gift that doesn't come from a store...oh, no...the gift that means just a little bit more.

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