The Christmas rush is through...

I always enter a blasé period of time right after Christmas.  Don't get me wrong.  The holiday season is my absolute favorite time of year.  What's not to like?  The smells, the lights, the decor, the food - everything about the season is wonderful, except for one thing - the hustle and bustle.  The rushing from here and there and everywhere to complete the daunting and numerous tasks of the season.  Buying tons of gifts, wrapping all those gifts up (ok, I admit, I love wrapping presents), keeping the house immaculately clean, cooking food, and don't forget -  shopping, shopping, shopping.  When I was younger, I used to thrive off of this hustle and bustle.  As my life gets even busier with school, church, singing, acting, etc. I have come to value the importance of friends and family.  I appreciate the times that we just sit and chat more often these days.  Sometimes it is just nice to sit, relax, and enjoy the company.

Last Friday night, a small group of Advanced Chorus alumni from GHS assembled for our annual Christmas carolling outing.  We spent the evening carolling to some of our favorite teachers.  It was great catching up with some great friends.  Here is a photo taken at Mrs. Clanton's house.

Christmas was still a little bit sad around our house as our family lost Granny right around this time last year.  We still managed to have a wonderful day relaxing, eating entirely too much, and unwrapping tons of presents.  In years past, it seems that the presents made me most happy on Christmas day.  This year especially, I noticed that I felt differently.  I certainly appreciate and enjoy the gifts, but as I received more and more text messages and emails from friends and family containing kind words and holiday greetings, I came to realize that these things mean much more than anything bought from a store.  We managed to get a few "good" family photos in our annual Christmas day photo shoot.

 Yes, this is really my family...

There is just so much excitement and build up for one day that after the Christmas rush is through we say, now what?  Do we simply return to our hectic daily lives with no thought about it?  I think this is the exact opposite of what we should be doing.  We should take this time to refocus on the important aspects of life.  Don't get me wrong - careers, goals, and aspirations are important aspects of life and success, but these ideas must be balanced with other aspects of life.  Don't forget the importance of family and friends.  Take/make time to visit and maintain relationships.  Don't forget to take time for yourself either.  Go get a massage.  Take care of your body, mind, and soul.  Remember these things as you enter the New Year.

peace.