“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”.
We’ve all heard that song and possibly, it is the most wonderful time of the year. It also is perhaps the most stressful time of the year for families who have a child with special needs. Worries about your child’s behavior at family gatherings, changes in routines and schedules and having your child out of school for 2 weeks can make the holidays difficult. Couple this with the expectations of how a “perfect” Christmas should be and, well, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Take a moment to consider that first Christmas. It didn’t have “Martha Stewart” decorations, gourmet meals and probably didn’t smell like freshly baked gingerbread. And come to think of it, we doubt that everyone’s behavior was perfect either! But the first Christmas was perfect because of what happened that night in Bethlehem. God sent his son to earth so that we could not only have the opportunity to spend eternity with Him, but also to give us peace (in the midst of chaos), joy and hope in our daily lives. And what made the first Christmas perfect, is still available to us today.
So, we encourage you to take a deep breath and try to focus on the simple aspects of Christmas. Sit for a moment and look at the lights on your tree or drive around to see the lights in your neighborhood. Watch those nostalgic Christmas movies or listen to the ageless Christmas Carols that we never seem to get tired of. Stay in your PJ’s until noon on Christmas Day. And in the midst of the craziness of this week, take a moment to thank God for all of His blessings, especially His gift to us on that first Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
