Thanks-Christmas-Giving

Once upon a time there was a girl who strongly felt that nothing Christmas-y should show up before Thanksgiving. That girl was me. I felt like Christmas music before Thanksgiving was breaking the rules. I shook my head at people who decorated "early." It went Halloween, Thanksgiving, and then AFTER Thanksgiving, Christmas began.

Now I disagree.

I start listening to Christmas music in November. Last year my tree went up right after my birthday (mid November). I don't celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas as two separate holidays anymore.

I celebrate Thanks-Christmas-Giving.

I went from one extreme to the other and here's my story of how, and why.


See the beautiful woman in the picture?

She's my mother. She laughed and sang and wrote poetry and music. She loved her children and her grandchildren. (The pic is of her with her granddaughter.) She was intelligent and loved to learn. She doodled and danced and worked in the garden. She was vibrant and talented and people loved her.

All of this was cut short. She died at 57 years old, leaving behind a husband, 13 children (and their spouses), and 14 grand kids. My family. Me.

After they found the mass in her pancreas, I was the primary caregiver for over a month. I was with her when the biopsy was done. I heard the news that it had metastasized first hand. I was there when the news was raw and she was in pain. I was also there 9 months later, holding her hand and crying as she passed away.

At this point you're probably wondering what my beautiful mother has to do with Thanks-Christmas-Giving. Really, the answer is simple.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are about the same things: Family, Love, and Gratitude. Sure, the food is nice. So are the presents. Even the songs and decorations are fun. But the core behind both holidays are those 3 things.

I didn't realize it the year my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Even the year she died I didn't fully process it. But this year it's so apparent to me that my values shifted when my mother was diagnosed with cancer and as I watched her subsequent battle and death. It wasn't that I came out with a completely different value system. My priorities have simply shifted.

I have 3 things which I put above almost everything else. Family, Love, and Gratitude.

My family members are the most important people on this earth. I'll give my own time and means to help them even if I don't have any time or means to give. I'll find a way. I can get a new job, start a new career, move to a new neighborhood, even get new friends, but I can't get a new family. Once they're gone, they're gone and I can't get them back.

And I love them. I love them with everything in me. No gadgets or "toys" compare. I also have more love for other people. I want to help people, to make their lives better. I don't want to see anyone else suffering. I love people I barely know. I give of myself more freely than I ever did before. I don't have barriers between me and other people. If someone needs help, I'll help them. I do what I can because I care.

To top it off, every day I can't help but be grateful for all that I have in my life. There is so much I have that so many other people don't have. I may not be wealthy, but I feel rich. Every day I can get out of bed and walk around. I'm not in so much pain that I throw up. I am young and healthy. I have a roof over my head. What I'm most grateful for is my family and the love we share.

Family, Love and Gratitude are connected--and I've discovered Thanksgiving and Christmas are connected similarly.

Thanksgiving we give thanks for life, for the bounties we've been given. We do all this while spending time with family in an environment of love. While we're in an attitude of gratitude, we are more willing to give of ourselves and help others.

This extends to Christmas: The season of giving, especially to the less fortunate. It's also a celebration of Christ, in honor of His love for us and all He gave. We are GRATEFUL for Him. We feel his love and share it. We spend the season with our FAMILIES. There is truly no place like home for the holidays...

The differences between Thanksgiving and Christmas are all superficial. They don't matter. One day you eat more. The other you get presents. Who cares about Turkey and presents? All I want is my family around me and a feeling of love. That's all it takes for me to feel grateful.

So I'm done separating 2 holidays that mean the same thing. I'll spend all of November AND December with family, sharing love, and expressing gratitude.

That's why I celebrate Thanks (for all the blessings I have, including my family)--Christmas (in honor of my Savior and His love for me)--Giving (turning around and sharing the blessing in my life with others).

If the way someone expresses their gratitude for Christ and their family and the blessings they have is by singing Christmas carols, go a head and do it in November! If decorating for Christmas will bring your family together, go ahead and do that in November too! And whatever you do, make sure you carry your gratitude with you into December.

You never know when something will happen and take Someone or something you love away...

~~In loving memory of my mother, June, who taught me it was better to give than receive, that family is more important than food, and presents are just another thing to be grateful for.~~

I Love and miss you mom!