All month long I’m going to be hosting the posts of other people as part of my 2015 Giftmas Blog Tour. All the guest bloggers are welcome to write about anything they’d like so long as their post touched on a December holiday in some way, no matter how tangentially. The blog tour extends beyond my blog as well, and I will do my best to link to each external post from the here and share them on social media using the hashtag #GiftmasTour.
But wait! There’s more!
We’re also giving away a whole whack of prizes (check out the list here) which you can enter to win using the Rafflecoper code below. Whatever December holiday you celebrate (or don’t) winning a stack of books will make it better!
Feel The Reason For The Season!
by Diamante Lavendar
“Ding-a-ling!” “Ring-ring!” “Ring-a-ling-a-ling!” The sound of the Salvation Army bell! What feeling does it invoke in you? Happiness? Gratitude? Irritation? Guilt? (Trust me…I know the feeling…especially when I have no spare change!)
The holiday season does tend to be much too busy…and complicated…and tiresome. Tis the season to be jolly…and broke…and sometimes stressed.
Stop and take a breather! Take a deep breath…in…out….in….out….Then take a look around. What is important? Gifts? Hustle and bustle? Candy? Trees? Lights? Yes, those things are all wonderful in themselves as long as they don’t take on the meaning of the season!
Shut your eyes and think of long ago. A time when people wore robes and shawls. When people rode donkeys. A time when you had to travel to a well for water. Remember that as the beginning of the season known as Christmas. Yes, there were gifts. But there were also gatherings…gatherings to alight the heart and bring joy back to friends and family. Just to gather was the gift. Just to spend time with loved ones was the highlight of the season. And of course there was the manger scene…complete with lowing animals and swaddling clothes.
What would it be like to relive the manger scene? To remember love and joy, peace and goodwill as the focus of Christmas? To see the love instead of the expectations, the joy instead of the long gift list? To promote the peace instead of the stress of stringing thousands of lights around your home? Often I think of the song The Twelve Pains Of Christmas and I realize that that’s what Christmas has become to too many of us. It should be a time of hope instead of stress and anxiety.
This year, as you approach the stores where you happen to be shopping, hear those Salvation Army bells and think of the manger. Remember the gift of giving and the times as a kid when you could barely sleep because you wanted to catch a glimpse of Santa. Capture the memory of times past laughing with family and friends, going door to door singing Christmas carols and bringing smiles to your neighbors’ faces. That is the stuff of beautiful memories…and of Christmases to come. Feel the reason for the season! Slow down to appreciate the gift of love and life, sharing and caring!
Happy Holidays!
About the author:
Diamante Lavendar has been in love with reading since she was a child. She spent many hours listening to her mother read to her when she was young. As she grew older, she enjoyed reading novels of all genres: horror, fantasy and some romance to name a few.
She began writing in college and published some poetry in anthologies over the years. After her kids were older, she wrote as a form of self expression and decided she wanted to share her stories with others.
Most of her writing is very personal and stems from her own experiences and those of her family and friends. She writes to encourage hope and possibility to those who read her stories.
Diamante believes that everyone should try to leave their own positive mark in the world, to make it a better place for all. Writing is the way that she is attempting to leave her mark—one story at a time.
Visit Diamante here:
http://diamantelavendar.com/
https://plus.google.com/107370618346077894159
https://www.facebook.com/diamantelavendar.writer.artist/
https://twitter.com/diamantelavenda
Just in case you’d like to win a gift, (It’s okay! We all enjoy a gift now and then!) here’s the Rafflecopter code! Good luck!
