It came so fast this year. All of a sudden it was a week and a half left to Christmas. Usually I will have everything decorated and planned by the end of November. What should I give my husband? What do we eat? What kind of christmas festivities do we take the girls to? These are questions that do not sit unanswered in my mind for very long. But somehow this year, I opened my eyes and it was already Lucia (Dec. 13th). Since then, I have done the only right thing: trying to get deep into that christmasy feeling of excitement and suspense. Gifts were bought. Parties were hosted and attended. Simple crafts were made with the girls. The sugar intake definitely increased. And many of those cheesy Christmas movies were watched on Netflix (it’s kinda not worth your time). I got really wrapped up in chasing the “Christmas Spirit” which I never seemed to catch up with. Until two nights ago.
My wonderful husband who knows of my Christmas obsession (and is the self-proclaimed Grinch of our family), found us a movie to watch as we folded our laundry the other night. It’s called “Christmas Oranges” and you can watch it for free on amazon (prime). Without revealing too much (I really want you to watch it!) I will briefly tell you about it. A young girl had lived at an orphanage since birth, where she felt very loved. Due to many sad events she was moved to another orphanage that was lonely and harsh. Throughout the movie you follow this girl, along with the other children, and their experiences in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
The movie really made an impression on me. They had so little, yet they felt joy over the simplest things. Having children has made me view basically everything in the world different. And I couldn’t help but think, “What if these were my kids?” Seeing the experiences this little 9-year-old girl went though, just made me want to take her home and give her love. I know this was only a movie, but a movie that shows of the reality of many children. Since watching the movie I have found myself constantly thinking about it and pondering the messages and thoughts it gave me. I have been thinking about love, about giving and service. And this is when I finally caught up with the “Christmas Spirit”. How can you think about love without feeling the love God has for everyone, including yourself? How can you think about giving without remembering that He, Christ, is the gift? And how can you think about service without quickly tapping into the Saviors life as the perfect example to pattern yours after? I couldn’t. Remembering the birth of Jesus Christ, which is the event we celebrate, has given me that special feeling in my heart and my home. In these coming days of Christmas, I am trying to find ways to give, serve and love those in need. Kinda glad I let my husband pick a movie that night. Now I feel like Christmas can come!