Every year, just as the Christmas holiday wraps up, and we prepare to welcome a New Year, I write about the stressful plague of seeking the perfect gifts for my loved ones. No one forces me, but I think the tradition has been imprinted on my soul where I feel its mandatory to follow suite…each and every year like clock work. I find myself enduring a sickening force of emptiness, yet I comply, and find the perfect gift for the loved ones that I often find myself buying gifts for throughout the year…especially for my offspring. He wants for nothing, and yet I feel compelled to spend bill money (because I procrastinate and don’t setup a Christmas account for December distribution) to make his illusion of Christmas full of satisfaction.
Photo Credit: Jahzara the Savvy Diva
Every year, I have the same speech with my partner, my babe, my king. “Babe, do you think next year we should start a new tradition? Maybe draw names from a hat, and purchase only one gift?” The idea lasts briefly inside of a light bulb hovering over our clouded minds, and then with a blink of an eyelash, it disappears. And each year, we make the sacrifice to spend as if we’ve won the lottery.
However, in the midst of all the hype, I do reflect on the real reason for the season. I know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the reason we celebrate, and without his sacrifice and blood, I wouldn’t be here today, blessed and grateful. So every year, as I prepare to embrace the upcoming New Year, I reflect on all my blessings — even through the stressful hustle and grind. And just as my annual emotions begin to flair, I remember that I am still committed to finding a balance that will leave me full of joy; instead of emptiness and regret for the love of a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation.
Until next year…Peace and blessings!