It’s that time of year again! Yes, of course I mean time for Christmas, for Advent, for choosing the perfect gifts for the people who mean the most to us. But also the time for way too many cookies, for a schedule full of parties with friends, for playing Christmas music until it’s (almost) annoying, for watching the movies that only make us cry once a year. But also the time for final exams, and leaving some places to go back to others, and often for our lives to change with the season.
As I’ve been enjoying this season, sipping cocoa and wishing for snow that sticks to more than just the roofs, this year I’ve also been noticing things. This is the fourth December I’ve spent in Williamsburg, Kentucky, and realizing that it is also the last has put my ability to notice things in overdrive. From the beauty of a brown leaf skeleton-etched with frost lying in the grass as I walk to my last classes to the almost-warmth of the winter sun that shines bright and clear but cannot thaw even my nose, everything around me has taken on a surreal quality that it never had before. Each time I notice a thing of beauty on this campus I realize how likely it is that I will never see that particular thing in that particular place again – that as the Christmas season is beginning another season in my life is ending.
Take some time this month to reflect, to really take in your surroundings, and to enjoy the tiny details that we often miss due to the busyness of our crazy, wonderful lives. You never know when those tiny things might turn out to be just what you need.
Have a blessed Christmas everyone!
For some more thoughts about the Christmas season from a writing cast that includes some great talent, check out this Advent booklet put out by the Missions and Ministry Department at the University of the Cumberlands.