When I write, I write out of a place of vulnerability and honesty. And I haven't written anything in quite some time. It seems like my life has been a constant hustle and bustle, with everything demanding every ounce of my attention. I guess that's the expectation of Christmas though, right?
Wrong.
As a child, there was work to be done but there was joy in the process. Every year, my mom would bake cookies - and I'm not talking about a batch or two. We would start weeks before Christmas, and a have a freezer full of tasty treats before Christmas Eve rolled around.
My mom made this one kind of cookie that she referred to as a stained glass window. (Please don't ask me for the recipe, because they were nasty! LOL) As much as I hated the taste of them, I always enjoyed watching her make them. They were beautiful - colored marshmallows wrapped carefully in chocolate, coated with a fine coconut.
We'd be playing cassette tapes in the background (if you're a millenial, look it up). Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree or Thistle Hare the Christmas Bear would be playing as we baked until our hearts were content.
But the thing that made those cookies taste even better was the promise that people would be stopping by. Yes, Christmas Eve would be a wonderful celebration with family - whether at my aunt's house or ours. And Christmas day, we'd travel around like a bouncy ball, starting at my paternal grandparent's house and ending at my grandpa's house. We'd play with our cousins until we just couldn't go anymore. But often, we'd beg to either have them come home with us or plead to go home with them.
And nearly every day that followed throughout the entire Christmas vacation would be spent either having visitors or visiting people. It was a tradition to travel from house to house to see what everyone got for Christmas, to eat cookies and candy, and just fellowship.
What happened?
Nothing closes down anymore. The world maintains an atmosphere of craziness, maybe pausing for a Christmas day celebration. Families are no longer prioritized, and even if they are together, technology has taken over.
About a week and a half ago, I made the decision to uninstall Facebook from my phone. Yes, I still had to login for work-related reasons, but aside from that, I just wanted to check out. I thought it would bring me joy, but it merely isolates me in loneliness. Don't get me wrong, I'm personally enjoying it, but I have unmet expectations. I had hoped to find a world of connectivity when I disconnected, but only found that I stood alone.
I watch as my kids and husband are constantly connected to something - televisions, cell phones, or tablets. But it's not just them - it's EVERYONE.
Tonight, I decided to take a quick, five minute scroll through Facebook. So many people are being consumed by quizzes, apps that tell you if your name is on Santa's naughty and nice list, or just merely spending their time liking and commenting on everyone else's posts. And the sad thing is that the entire world is being led to believe that social media is the way to connect - when it's actually the biggest disconnection and distraction that a person can have.
While you're busy liking someone else's Christmas tree photo, your family is waiting for you to decorate theirs. And the amount of time spent on quizzes that literally mean nothing could be a stack full of Christmas cards addressed - simply saying "I'm thinking about you this Christmas season." And let's not forget that while you're liking and commenting on the posts from your high school classmates (who by the way likely haven't talked to you since you graduated), you could be cuddling up with your family to read a book, reminisce about the past, play a game, sing a song, or drink a cup of hot chocolate.
I'm recognizing in my own life the importance of disconnecting in order to connect where it matters the most. No, this is not a plea to put Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or the like out of business. There are moments of time that these tools are helpful in staying connecting or reaching out to someone who has been on your mind. But my plea is this, don't let this Christmas be dominated by worldly expectations.
Bake a batch of cookies with your kids, sing Christmas carols (even if you can't carry a tune in a bucket - like my dad would always tell me), and make the Christmas memories that your kids will one day look back on and cherish.
In just a few short weeks, this year, this decade will come to an end. And what you have in motion right now sets the tone for the next ten years. Will it be fruitful? Will you live in joy, contentment, and laughter? Or will you constantly be trying to measure up to an expectation - one that you'll never meet because society is constantly evolving?
Challenge yourself to disconnect from social media and every unnecessary thing that steals your time away from the things that matter the most. You'll realize that the chance to reconnect is the best gift you can give yourself, your family, and your friends this Christmas.
From my house in sunny Florida to yours - wherever you may be, Merry Christmas! And best wishes for an abundantly blessed New Year!