OK, so I am a little late in writing this but it is still important to me, so you get to read all about it :) This is an age old gripe, and I'm sure all of us have exclaimed, "Christmas keeps coming earlier and earlier each year". Often times Halloween decorations come down to be replaced by Christmas ones. Halloween to Christmas isn't there something in between?
Well, the day after Halloween we have a wonderful day called ALL SAINT'S DAY. This is a day when we can remember all the wonderful people who have made a difference in our lives. All of those saints who have done God's work. It is perhaps not as fun to celebrate as Halloween or as warm and fuzzy as Christmas but it is important. When you see the tears in the eyes of family as a bell tolls for their loved one, you see the edge of their smile as they remember how wonderful that person was. You see the congregation stand in recognition of the hard work, dedication, and love of those who have passed away. So many people have helped make me who I am. I have been fortunate that many of my Saints are still alive, but many have also been called back to God. On All Saint's we recognize them all. We remind ourselves that even if our saints are no longer alive, they will always be with us.
At the end of November we have a national holiday called THANKSGIVING. Not much you can sell on Thanksgiving unless you are a grocery store or a turkey farm, not to many TV specials about it. In fact the most exciting thing about it is the Christmas parades, the bowl games, and eating until it hurts. Not much of a holiday. It should be. What better day to meet with family, to be thankful for a family to gather with. To express gratitude for the many blessings of the year. Have you ever noticed that when you give thanks for something, that thing becomes even more important to you? Have you ever noticed how good it makes you feel to give thanks? Have you ever seen the smile on another's face when you have thanked them? Have you ever felt the warm feeling of being Thanked? Thanksgiving is our chance to do all of the above. Our chance to truly celebrate all that we have been given.
Shortly after Thanksgiving we come to ADVENT. OK, so advent is a season and not a holiday, but perhaps we should think about it more. Advent is a time of preparation and anticipation. It is a time when we prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord. In our rush to get to Christmas we often forget to do the preparations. (I'm sure most of you have received my "Christmas" cards in February at least once.) Slow down! Take time to think about the meaning of each one, prepare yourself for its coming, enjoy it to its fullest without rushing on to the next one!. Enjoy the holidays...all of them.