YOU DO YOU AT CHRISTMAS

There's so many fun Christmas traditions that my family and I celebrate. On November 30 every year, we put up and decorate our tree. Every year, we buy one or two pop culture ornament to add to the tree (this year it was a basketball and a Nintendo controller).  Christmas movies like Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Die Hard (yes, it's a Christmas film) are watched. There are so many little things that add up over the years that make December a very special month for the Mills family.

Not every Christmas has been a holly jolly affair. Some Christmas', my wife and I couldn't afford to get each other gifts and we learned to be joyful when times were fiscally tight. There were some Christmas' that were bittersweet when we celebrated together but missed a loved one who had passed away that year. 

I think the Christmas Days that I wasn't so joyful was when they fell on a Sunday.  Having to work on a Sunday after working Christmas Eve was never my idea of fun (did I mention that I'm so glad I don't work at a church anymore?). It was something to endure not something to celebrate for me. 

Now, that might sound selfish but the truth is, I don't want to spend time in a building with a bunch of other people who aren't close friends and family. I want to be at home, wrapping presents, eating some homemade snacks, watching A Christmas Story and dreaming of a new year with new possibilities. To me, that's a perfect Christmas Eve.

Maybe your version of Christmas Eve/Day is different than mine. Perhaps you like going to church to celebrate and sing about Christ's birth.  Perhaps you don't celebrate at all.  You know what? That's fine too.

There is no right or wrong way to celebrate Christmas because it's unique to every person. That's the beauty of this holiday when you do what you want. Don't let anyone tell you it needs to be different.

I believe personal preferences are also important to protect when dealing in matters of faith.  There will be those that will want you to conform to THEIR idea of faith and all that it entails. They'll tell you that to be a proper adherent of the faith, you must act a certain way and do what they would do.  You might be told that questions aren't appropriate.  Whatever constraints are thrust upon you, it's okay if you don't want to abide within them if you're not sure. What's important is that you hold onto what matters to you and not what someone else deems important.  

Just like holiday traditions, celebrate the best way you know how. What you know, believe and trust in holds more weight than you know.

May you find all the joy, hope and love that you deserve this season.