Day 23: Finding the Balance

The hours to prepare for Christmas Eve and Christmas day are dwindling now. My schedule is charted pretty carefully in terms of the list of things to do. I jokingly say that I'm working from dawn to dusk now! (That's only like 4 hours!) I'm half finished with my homily for Christmas Eve, I've purchased the food for our Christmas Eve dinner as well as our Christmas Day Open House where we usually have about 75 people through the house. The house is reasonably clean! My shopping is done. I still have gifts that need to be wrapped. Have to work tomorrow. Need to bake some more cookies. Have resigned myself to sending New Year's cards.
But in the midst of all the stuff on my to do lists, I also want to relax and enjoy the events as they unfold. So it's not just a matter of completing all of the tasks. It's also about intentionally experiencing and enjoying the special moments in this activity packed season.
My husband and I took our dog for a walk through the city on Sunday afternoon. The sun actually came out for a few hours and the afternoon was beautiful. The early afternoon light was truly stunning even though nightfall came in a hurry. The waterfront is quiet now with only a few Christmas lights dotting the shore. This photo was taken at about 2.45 p.m. The way the evening light danced off the coagulating water was quite a sight.
The quiet that comes in the midst of the frenzy is a welcome treat. There are many things to do, but there are many moments to savor as well. Christmas isn't centrally about ticking off things on a list. It's good to get ready for our holiday celebrations but not at the expense of enjoying it. Don't forget to add "enjoy the moment" to your list of things to do over the next several days.