Generally the holidays bring with them the hustle and bustle of commercialism and we get caught up with buying gifts, wrapping, mailing or maybe even doing online shopping and ensuring that the shipping of said gifts are taken care of. We plan parties or check our calendars often to make sure we can squeeze in one more event for our children, ourselves, our grandchildren or for work or church. At the end of it all, we’re exhausted and we Funny, Funny Mother has come to pass one more year again.

But with all the hustle and bustle, are we listening to those memories that come from our heart?  Those first stories we heard as children of the real meaning of Christmas – the reason of the season. A true celebration of Joy and LOVE.

December has always been a special month for me.  Traditions are important to many families – including ours. As empty nesters, we know that some of the traditions we had as a family our children have adopted and continue to do in their homes. Others, they are establishing of their own and what wonderful ones those are.

This year, we decided to establish a new tradition – and break an old one. We used to decorate the trees the day after Thanksgiving.  This year, we decided to hold off for a while and wait until after the first of December.  The trees are still not decorated.  You know, it’s okay.  I”m not devastated.  We didn’t turn on the Christmas music until the 1st of December, no hurry, no rush… there was a reason.  We wanted it to be for the right reason, not because the some commercials said to do so.

New tradition:  Elf on the Shelf!  We’re taking it a bit further than the norm.  Our elf is going to find greatness and report it – and not just to Santa.  He’s going to report it back to the person he sees doing it.  We want all of our family to be in on this.  It’s going to be an interesting experiment and we’re so excited that we already have something in place that allows us to make sure we can make that happen.  Our elf arrives on Tuesday and we’re so excited – the challenge will be naming him!

We have so much to be thankful for – and it definitely is a season of Joy and Love — one to be shared with family.  Start a new tradition with your family this year.  Let that tradition begin in your heart and spread outward.  Greatness begins in your heart.  Share the joy you feel this year with your family and friends by sharing a tradition, old or new.

To our collective greatness in the journey this Christmas season,
Jan