"Fluff"

As Christmas Day approaches sometimes craziness can ensue. I, personally, am trying to make the holidays simple. I don't ever want my children to get caught up in the "fluff" that seems to accompany Christmas these days. However, for my relativley small "quiver", gift-wrapping can become almost ludicrous and I have a tendency to lose my simpleness in the midst of it.

**********WARNING: this little story may require a box of tissues.************************

As I was wrapping gifts this past Thursday evening I called my 5yo dd and almost 3yo dd into the room to help me wrap their gift to their older brother. Oh the squeals of delight that filled the room over the fact that they "knew" a gift and the fact that "they" were getting to do some gift wrapping! They were truly enjoying the giving part of the holiday and I felt relatively smug in my child rearing abilities. Hah!

Soon after, my 50yo dd comes into the room holding a paper plate. She tells me that this is for her older 12 yo sister. In my haste to finish my task I tell her in my I'm-not-really-listening-because-I'm-too-busy-with-something-else-to-look voice that it's really nice, but we had already picked out a gift for her older sister. She lets me know she was aware of that and went on her merry way.

Later that evening after everyone else is in bed, I go to our Christmas tree, under which I place a few more gifts. To my surprise I notice a small, red gift sack. I didn't use any gift sacks so I knew it wasn't mine. I pick it up to peek inside and what do I find? A precious paper plate. It had been hand decorated and bore the words, "I love you Maddie, love Grace". Apparently in my sweet little daughter's efforts to have a proper package, when she couldn't find any tissue(or get any help from Momma), she found an empty, white, plastic trash bag and used that as her tissue.

I cried. I cried good and hard. How simple was that? In my haste, my precious 5yo dd had just taught me my own lesson. I missed out on a blessing because I was caught up in the "fluff". The very thing I wanted them to avoid. I thanked God that very minute for her and what a blessing she was to me.

*********************end of story --tissues may be put away now*************************

Sometimes I tend to forget( not purposely, of course) that our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever (ICor 10:31). I hope I can keep that in mind always without having my 5yo teach it to me the hard way again.