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The Christmas season: And so it begins...

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Inspiration

By Don Lindsey

With a wonderful Thanksgiving behind me, my family and I are gearing up for Christmas. Actually, my wife and daughter spend all year preparing for Christmas. On any given day you can hear them humming holiday tunes and talking about what they want for presents.

This literally happens all year.

For my part, I start feeling the holiday spirit once turkey day is over. We already have our tree up and I’m getting the urge to listen to my Christmas playlist. Hearing the kids talk more about what they hope to get and seeing the decorations around town going up is also helping to get me into the holiday mood. It wasn’t always like that, however, for a few years before I moved here, I didn’t really celebrate any of the holidays.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed seeing family when we gathered, but with no kids, there didn’t seem to be a lot to celebrate. I would also find myself rather annoyed with certain aspects of the Christmas season such as heavier traffic on the roads and longer waiting times in store lines. I can remember there being a few years where I’d get rather aggravated towards the beginning of the season due to a traffic jam or something and mutter to myself “and so it begins”.

Thankfully that all changed once I moved down here from Ohio and married Tammy. For one, it’s hard to be around her and not be in the Christmas spirit yourself. The fall decorations are coming down and as I mentioned, and the tree is already up. Within the next week or so, more of the Christmas decorations will join the tree and you can hear such classics as Bing Crosby’s White Christmas playing when she’s in the kitchen or in the car driving.

Another thing that changed when I moved here was that I got saved and accepted Jesus Christ as my savior. Now Christmas is not only about family but it’s first and foremost a celebration of His birth. When I look at my life since I’ve been saved and see the opportunities given to me, I can’t help but be grateful to the Lord. I have a beautiful wife, three wonderful kids, and I get to spend a huge chunk of time with my parents as their caretaker which is important to me given their ages (86). I’m getting better at thanking Jesus for those blessings and celebrating when He was born is part of that.

Since I’ve adopted that attitude, I seemed to be less annoyed with the hustle and bustle of the holiday rush that started on Thursday night and will last for the better part of a month. As a matter of fact, I find that I am getting excited as the days wind down because I’m anxious for Christmas to get here. Spending the day with family going through our traditions is always a great experience. We just did the same thing for Thanksgiving at my mother in law’s place and I’m looking forward to doing the same here on Christmas day.

With the season now in full swing, I can’t help but think to myself “and so it begins”. This time, however, that’s a good thing.

Don Lindsey is a follower of Christ, son, husband, father, and a survivor. Originally from Dayton Ohio, and resident of Apopka for six years, Don sees his life as a dedication to his wife, parents, children, and community.

Don Lindsey, Inspiration

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