Simply Christmas

There is so much commercialism in Christmas these days. You look in the magazines and the commercials where you only see the perfect decorations and the perfect trees. The true meaning of Christmas is a whole other topic in itself, but let's focus on the simple part of Christmas. 

There are always traditions that families like to make. I have a hard time following the same thing every year though. With my kids being small still they always surprise me with a new thing they want to do, or to tell me how much they hate doing others. So in reality we have not made a solid tradition that we have done each year. 

Now I love Christmas! I love the lights, the decorations, and the tree. Oh the tree!! I remember my first home, I put my tree up in September! Why? Because I could, and more so because it is beautiful. There is only a few things I feel are calming to just look at. The sun set, the ocean, and the glisten of Christmas lights. 

This has been a rough year for me. College is sucking, lots of sickness in the family, and much more. I had not even had a chance to even think about Christmas let alone begin to decorate. I was really getting bummed because I wanted a tree too. They are so expensive though, even for a real one. So I have just put it to the back of my head and moved on.

Yesterday I was working on cleaning the house while my kids were playing outside. They normally do not like to go out when it is cold so I was thankful for some quiet while they played. After a bit I sit down on the couch and there is a big sliding glass door in the front of the house to which I see my son pulling a tree behind him! 

I opened the door for him and asked him what the heck they did. They said they took the hand saw and the hand ax and chopped down the tree. "It took a long time and we kept having to switch tools" they said. They pulled it into the house and set it in a bucket with rocks all alone. 

I can't say that this was a pretty tree, or even a typical pick of Christmas tree but that is where some simplicity comes in. My children went out on a secret mission with their hearts full of love and found a tree that they could provide for us in our back yard. The tree was free, it goes to my ceiling and it is bear...but it is full of my children's love and heart. 

They even decorated it all alone lights and all. I couldn't be more happy with my tree this year! Made me really stop and see that there is more here than perfection and outside beauty. It is what is in the heart and what gets done by heart!