It’s a week before Christmas and I’m mostly ready. Bought the last gift yesterday (I think!)
And I'm almost finished wrapping already.
That's a win in my book!
I have a love/hate relationship with wrapping gifts. Often I wait until just a few days before Christmas to wrap them all.
I love the way the gifts look under the tree when they are wrapped, so festive and bright.
They remind me of the excitement I felt when I was a child, the anticipation of Christmas morning and how fun it was to run downstairs and see what was under the tree.
But I “hate” the actual act of wrapping gifts.
Well...hate might be a strong word. Let's just say I don't enjoy it.
It can be such a mess! Wrapping paper, boxes and bags strewn everywhere.
And let's not get me started about how the tape somehow always disappears - even though it was right next to me just a second ago!
Or the maneuvering it can take to hold the paper just right with one hand and rip off a piece of tape with the other.
Oh and Firefly always wants to help. That's fun when she steps on the wrapping paper and pokes holes in it so I have to start over!
(It's a little better if I'm playing Christmas music and have a glass of wine while I'm doing it.)
And when it's finished, I do enjoy sitting back and admiring the way the pretty boxes and bags look underneath the tree.
As much as I don't enjoy wrapping, I know it's a necessary part of the process.
I've learned that the messy part can't be skipped over.
That's true of most things in life. It's a mess navigating this complicated world.
We stop and we start, we try something new, we change directions, we make our fair share of bad decisions. Sometimes it's beautiful, and sometimes it's not.
And along the way, we leave a trail of experiences that shape who we are. Gifts not just for ourselves but also for the people who are on this journey with us.
This year, I think I'm going to celebrate my Christmas messes instead of cringe when I see them.
Sing a little louder to the Christmas music. Appreciate the process just a tiny bit more.
One more gift to wrap before I can clean up the mess and enjoy the finished product.
Should only take a minute...
Just have to find the tape 😉
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