I'm not a procrastinator. Every year I have my Christmas shopping mostly all done by Black Friday. This year, however, due to some unfortunate events, I still have shopping to do! It's driving me crazy, making me super stressed, and worst of all I'm getting a little Grinch-y. I've said to my husband several times, "Can we just skip Christmas this year? I don't know how I'm going to get everything done."
You remember this story about the devilish Grinch who was determined to rob Who-ville of Christmas. Dressed up as Santa, the Grinch moved through Who-ville taking every package, tree, ornament, and stocking. He was so proud of himself until. . .
Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mt. Crumpit,
He rode with his load to the tiptop to dump it!
“Pooh-Pooh to the Whos!” he was grinch-ish-ly humming.
“They’re finding out now that no Christmas is coming!
“They’re just waking up! I know just what they’ll do!
“Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
“Then the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry Boo-Hoo!
“That’s a noise, “grinned the Grinch,
“That I simply MUST hear!”So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow …
But the sound wasn’t sad!
Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn’t be so!
But it WAS merry! VERY!
He stared down at Who-ville!
The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook!
What he saw was a shocking surprise!
Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN‘T stopped Christmas from coming!
IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?”
“It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
“It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit more!”
(Dr. Suess, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, New York: Random House, 1957.)
I need to remember this message:“Maybe Christmas, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit more!” Christmas does mean so much more, and I, like the Grinch, am stealing Christmas from myself by stressing out over it. So my goal from now on is to take more quiet moments to read the scriptures and to reflect on Christ and His birth.
What do you do to keep the stresses out and the Spirit of Christmas in?