2017 Home for the Holidays

2017 Home for the Holidays LINCOLN DAILY NEWS November 22, 2017 Page 43 By Pastoral Care Consultant, Dr. Paul Boatman W e’ve all experienced something like this: Christmas is over. Traveling is completed. The hectic schedule is settling down. Tired and seasonally bloated bodies are gradually recovering. The credit card bills are trickling (or pouring) in. You look back at your Christmas experience and ask, “What have I done?!” We may have been hopeful that we would be surprised by Christmas, but instead we feel like we have merely survived the celebration. Do you wonder what you were really expecting from Christmas? Our expectations may vary depending upon our definition. What is your definition of Christmas? Some Christian people define Christmas as an exclusive focus upon the unique birth of the baby they believe to have been the Son of God. For such a pointed focus there is no room for Santa, reindeer, holly, lights and decorations, etc. Christmas may still be celebrated, but in a somber fashion. Some thoroughly secular people focus only on a season of good feeling and festivities. Any emphasis on “Christmas Story” is likely to be relegated to cultural mythology that is tolerated as a part of the emotionally uplifting season. Most of us are between these two extremes. You may need to define what Christmas really is to YOU. Here are some thoughts for you to consider create more satisfying experiences and memories of the holidays: n What faith expectations do you want to have met? n What emotional needs do you want the Christmas observance to satisfy? n What are your family expectations and community expectations that you deal with? n Are these expectations there because you are committed to them, or simply because you feel obligated? n What pressure do you sense from others to “do Christmas” a certain way? What do I want my Christmas to be? CONTINUED ===