Each year I treasure the time I get to spend with my 97 year old Grandmother Francis Glassy. Last night we had a chance to get together for dinner and spend time sitting around the beautiful Christmas tree that my wife had decorated. It was a nice moment, one of those moments you know you won’t get too many more of, so you treasure it while you’re in the present. The night really took on a special quality when we began to talk about the Christmas’s that we had spent together. Christmas eve dinners, trips to Frederick and Nelsons in downtown Seattle, special gifts that she had given me as a child. It was one of dearest moments I’ve had in a long time, and it surprised me how much of the past that I both remembered, and had subconsciously been trying to play out for my children here in the present day.
For many people, Christmas is filled with anticipation of great gifts to come, both the giving and receiving of gifts. But there is another emotional component of Christmas that we often don’t realize until later; the important part that Christmas memories play in making the present better. So many people have tough Christmas memories that it’s easy to get bogged down in dreading this season, yet life gets better when we remember that we have to CREATE great memories and that means living in the present with intention.
Here’s a few ideas to create great Memories
1. Memories are past, present and future. You are making memories every year, so live intentionally in the present. Bless and encourage those around you and you’ll instantly be brought out of your self-focus and begin to start making a memory. You’ve had lots of bad Christmas memories, but that doesn’t mean your children should too!
2. Memories don’t have dollar amounts. As I talked through Christmas memories shared with my Grandmother, I realized that none of the memories was of high monetary value. It was all about the silly things that happened, the thoughtfulness of a gift, the time spent together. Nevertheless, we’re still tempted to get caught up in trying to buy a Christmas memory and feel limited if we can’t do so. Create fun interactions and spent time together with those you loved. In the end, it’s the only thing you’ll remember.
3. Avoid Living Someone Else’s Christmas. Surprisingly, even strong minded people are often through off during the Christmas season into living by someone else’s schedule, dancing to another’s Christmas memory, and end up miserable as a result. Instead of living someone else’s life, start now at building Christmas around your values, schedule, and loved ones. Don’t wait until it’s too late to find out you were a bit player in someone else’s script when you could have been the star of your own Christmas story. Live your own life, even at Christmas.
Gratitude fills my heart that I was able to build another Christmas memory with my grandmother. While I’m not sure how many more I’ll have with her, I’m not going to forget to enjoy this one.
Merry Christmas,
David Curry
