Christmas Present

On this snowy weekend, as one of the greatest blizzards to hit the East coast roared through town and blanketed the city in a foot of snow, there were still dozens of things left to do to prepare for the Christmas Holiday.
Yet Twelve inches of snow  brought Richmond  to a standstill
While Eleven loaves of bread were cooling on my window sill.
Ten pans of cookies  waiting for me to bake them
Nine gift baskets--but I hadn't time to make them.
Eight bags of presents  unwrapped on the den floor,
Seven  to deliver waiting by the front door.
Six piles of  laundry growing by a foot more...
 FIVE GOLDEN FRUITCAKES!
 Four shopping days left,
Three snow-caked poodles,
Two college kids,
and a pair of parents in a tizzy.
So much to do, so little time, fa-la-la-la-la and fiddle-dee-dee.
But it was snowing outside, and it was cold inside, and there was a marathon of holiday movies on the television.  You would think with all that was left to do I would be in a panic to jump up off the couch, turn off the TV and start tackling another holiday project; Bah-humbug....

But ahhh...the tree was twinkling so merrily, the snow was glistening so brightly, the fire was roaring so warmly, and the couch was calling me home.  I turned up the volume on "Doctor Zhivago" and tuned out everything else.  I took the day off,  tucked in beside the tree, curled up in a blanket, and enjoyed the snow and movies and the holiday glow. I gazed at the tree and the lights and the ornaments as I watched Ebenezeer Scrooge battle the ghosts of Christmases past, present and future. I listened to Charleton Heston in "Ben-Hur" capture the story of the life of Christ;  I saw stories of Santa in the North Pole working with elves that didn't want to be elves, stories of neighbors battling over Christmas lights and decorations, and stories of families reunited for the holidays. I confess that I napped during some of them, clicked back and forth between a few, but  I didn't move all day. Everything came to a standstill in our hectic, holiday house. I didn't even feel guilty.

It was a little Christmas present to myself, a day of rest, of peace, of quiet, of joy. It was a gift that happened because of a blizzard, when God sent a blanket of snow to calm the world down-- God's gifts, always in our best interest, waiting for us to receive them.

 I received this Christmas present, this day of rest, with a thankful heart. Merry Christmas to all as we celebrate God's greatest gift , the birth of His Son.