Today the daily post at

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/getting-seasonal/

has challenged us to write from this theme…

The holiday season: can’t get enough of it, or can’t wait for it all to be over already? Has your attitude toward the end-of-year holidays changed over the years?

My mother is an avowed “Christmasphobe”, always has been and as she is now in her late 70’s, probably always will be. My sister is mom’s foil when it comes to Christmas. She practically sneezes yuletide glitter out her nostrils. The resulting firestorm that comes in the spaces between these two ladies can be dangerous to navigate indeed. Whether to decorate the tree or burn the tree is a yearly discussion in our household.

I suppose my nack for survival  has made me a real middle of the road kind of guy when it comes to Christmas. We can neither deny the day nor can we celebrate and make merry like Fezziwig without causing caniptions in certain members of  our household. Balance is the key to a merry Christmas you see.

For myself I love the holiday. I love its true meaning apart from the trapping of lights and decorations, Santa and reindeer. I love the quiet cacophony of the Christ child born in a manger on a starry night lauded by angels and shepherds and kings. I would not hurry this sacred season. Neither do I want to lay myself low with over-indulgence and too much activity.

Our lead pastor asked this question in his sermon last week: “Why is it that the greatest celebrations bring the greatest tension in families?”

Perhaps it is because the people who can’t get enough and the people who can’t wait until it’s over are not willing to come to the middle of the road and accept that enough is as good as a feast until it’s over.

I have changed in my attitude over the years. I am settled into the seasons of life. I enjoy them for what they are and I do not mourn when they pass because they are all just a piece of the greater experience we call life and that is a very full thing.