The true meaning of Christmas

The bills were paid and the kids were excited about christmas. It was only one week away and there were no more pay days in between. Most of the presents were wrapped and ready to go under the tree but there ware not as many as usual. I was feeling very disillusioned about the festivities this year but I had decided to pull the purse strings and not get into the debt I had in previous years. The kids had all been told that this was going to be the case and that Christmas this year was going to be about friends and family, not about spending copious amounts of money on things which would eventually end up just gathering dust.
The tree has been up for a couple of weeks, even though it is looking a bit worse for wear, a new one is definately on the cards for next year.
The family were comming for dinner which would be fairly low key, I just havent got the money for lots of extravagant food. The basics are all sorted out, the turkey with all the trimmings, mince pies and lots of veg!
As Christmas day drew nearer I distracted myself by helping out at the local school, selling coffee and cakes at the shool play. Christmas eve arrived and I got the kids to bed and spent the evening thinking about cooking dinner and if the kids would be disappointed with the meagre ammount of presents, eventually I fell asleep.
I awoke in the mornng to over excited children waiting to open presents. Once breakfast was out of the way and I was armed with a fresh cup of coffee we all went and sat round the tree for the annual chaos which is the children opening their presents.
It didnt take long and once the batteries were sorted out and other toys were assembled, I made my way back to the kitchen to begin the task of cooking the perfect Christmas dinner. By the time the rest of the family arrived everything was prepared and waiting to be cooked.
The next few hours passed in a blur of chatter and laughter as the family shared stories of christmases past, friends reunited and loved ones no longer with us.
As dinner is served and the family gather around the table I try to remember the last time we were all together like this, I realise that it has been at least six months and vow to myself to make an effort to get everyone together at least four times a year.
When everyone had eaten their fill the leftovers were given to the dog, who had waited so patiently as the smells of the cooking filled the house. The dishes were cleaned and put away and my kitchen slowly returned to its normal state.
Sitting infront of the television, surrounded by my family I realsied that this was probably one of the best Christmas days we had had in a long time and I wasnt worrying about how I was going to pay for it for the next year.
Everyone had a good time and that is what was important, I had also taken a small step to redress the balance of what Christmas is really about.
Now its time for a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
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