christmas is over

My family makes fun of me because I start lamenting “Christmas is over!” almost as it has just begun. They are puzzled by it, and I really hadn’t thought it through until recently.

I think the real enjoyment I have of Christmas is in the anticipation of Christmas… the decorating, the planning, the cooking, the music, and the waiting for the family to arrive. I love the process of giving a gift … acquiring it, wrapping it, and looking forward to the pleasure I hope it will give the recipient.

When it is all over, a let-down occurs because the exhilaration of anticipation is over, and there is an awareness that very few moments actually lived up to the dream. Exhaustion sets in… it takes a lot of work to make a family holiday happen. And, before you know it, “Christmas is over!”

I’m thinking about heaven, today, as I often do lately. I think that in heaven we will exist in a perpetual state of anticipation. The excitement will not fade, and the moments we actually live will be greater than anything we could ever imagine. It won’t be too crowded, or too loud, or too hot, or too cold. There will always be enough time, enough energy, and enough understanding. The gifts will be just right (and I think we’ll be surprised at what “just right” is). And, best of all, we will never have to say goodbye.

The true meaning and intention of Christmas will go on for eternity, and it will be exactly what we were created for…Christmas will never be over, and we’ll savor every moment of it. I can hardly wait!

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