Holidays

I've read, "when you come to the end of your rope tie a knot in the end and hang on."

Holidays can bring you to the end of your rope some years.

About the time I think I have everything under control, something hits me upside the head and I'm made painfully aware only God has everything under control.

By the time we get shopping done, Christmas cards done, decorating done, baking and concocting done, we're most always really done. Like on our last leg done.

What I know and can tell you is that all of this stuff is not supposed to be left to the last minute to be done.

That is probably how the 'fruitcake' came about. A cake that can be started back in October and stewed for a couple of months.

There has been the joke about the one perpetual fruitcake passed around for centuries, and it's always the same cake and no one eats or wants it.

I happen to like fruitcake, although some cakes are better than others. The first fruitcake I made was the second holiday season after our marriage. I was given our Grandma B's applesauce cake recipe and the note on it said: can be used for fruitcake, just add raisins, candied fruit, nuts, etc. as much as you want...

Everyone liked it so well it became a regular item on my 'must have for Christmas' list. I baked them every year until most of the kids had grown up and moved away.

Then someone would say, 'I like the fruitcake, but I don't like those...' and some didn't like this or that, and I just stopped making them.

Well, after tying a knot in your rope what do you do? I'll just tell you...I don't know. There is a term, 'laughing out loud', and that goes here.

There aren't any hard and fast rules, but the number one thing is 'simplify'. How do we do that? Make a list of what is important.

Recently I've seen a number of 'hating on Santa Claus' diatribes/posts. We've never promoted Santa Claus. Santa Claus way back at the beginning was, reportedly, a wealthy monk who was good and kind.

So, why in the world do people want to hate on someone they've never met, never did anyone any harm, and didn't ask to become a legend? Here is a link to a site with more of a story to it:

https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/fatherchristmas.shtml

I don't focus on Santa Claus, but I don't hate him either, and I don't believe he's deserving to be called "Satan Claus".

If Christmas gifts have become a 'must have', you've focused on the wrong thing. Stop giving gifts this year. I don't ask kids 'what do you want for Christmas?'. That's not the right question.

Often kids all want the moon and the lights too,

so, with a large family, they weren't going to get it. And I live with my kids, shouldn't I know what they like?

A better question would be, 'what are you giving this year'? That is what Christmas is really about— giving not getting.

Luke 2:1 "Now it came to pass in those days, there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be enrolled. 2) This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3) And all went to enroll themselves, every one to his own city. 4) And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; 5) to enroll himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child. 6) And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered. 7) And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."