Coming into downtown Columbia, a person can already see preparations are underway to prepare for the downtown Christmas celebration. As much as I hate the cold, I’ll admit as I have in the past, Christmas is my favorite time of year.
However, it is also leading into the season of running non-stop. With all of the different events, Christmas shopping, parties and everything else, it is also a time when a lot of us will be running around like a chicken with our heads cut off.
A lot of people love the fall season moving into Christmas. Again, there is so much to do with football and soccer games, fall festivals, Halloween and Thanksgiving. What are we doing: Running, running, running.
In these next three months, we will all be asking ourselves, will it ever slow down? Or once Christmas is over, will we all say we need a vacation after the holidays?
As we head into this season, I think we all need to look at our calendars and intentionally schedule break times from all of the busyness. Different types of breaks, breaks with the family, breaks as a couple and breaks for yourself. Instead of allowing the busyness to stress and wear us out, plan the next few months out to allow us to enjoy the season as it comes upon us.
We can enjoy the lights, go ice skating and ride the train with our children and grandchildren, but we can also enjoy a quiet night at home playing a board game as a family or enjoy an intimate dinner. A hot bubble bath with a good book always does wonders for a person.
With this column, I can honestly say I am preaching to myself as well. I want to cover as much of the wonderful events that are happening here, but I also want to be able to enjoy the season as well. I can be the biggest kid at any event, because I want to have fun, but I can also get home and cry because I am so tired.
Worse yet, I will be taking down my decorations and realize that I never even stopped and enjoyed the season.
I’m going to start planning now. I’ll be spending a lot of time downtown enjoying every aspect from watching the light show, taking part in the live nativity and, of course, scaring myself and everyone else with my less than stellar ice skating skills. I also want go to some Christmas concerts. I love to sing, and unfortunately my church doesn’t do a Christmas cantata, but I still want to go and see some. Not for work, but just to enjoy.
My prayer is I hope you do the same as well. Instead of letting it be here before we know it, grab the season “by the horns” and plan it so we are not allowing it to overrun us.
I want to have fun this year, and I want everyone else to have fun, too. However, don’t allow yourself to be so busy that you forget that you are supposed to be having fun. Fun with your friends, family, neighbors and wonderful people we have yet to meet.
I’m asking you to join me in making this holiday season be the best season ever. Not only for our county, our city, our families, but for ourselves. Plan it so we can look forward to the events and dread having to do this or that.
Let’s really make the season merry and bright. -
Susan Amundson is
news/features editor of The Columbian-Progress. She may be reached at (601) 736-2611 or
samundson@columbianprogress.com.
