It's Not About The Money or Presents at Christmas

              I have had money and then there were times, that we didn't have the money.
I ran to town earlier to pick up just a few things that we had needed, and the store parking lots were packed with last minute Christmas shoppers.

It really got me to thinking of years past when we would have just a truck load of presents under the tree and then going from house to house to unwrap more and more presents.  I just wonder if my kids remember all the hundreds of gifts that they have received over the years. I know that I sure do not remember. A few gifts stick out in my mind. Maybe it's because we have pictures of those gifts at the time, but, what I remember most is the people that were always around me.

All the years of growing up and up to the very recent holiday, my best memories are being with the family. The parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and our own children. That is what matters. That is what means the most. If I woke up Christmas morning with a hundred gifts around the tree and if I was the only person here, it just wouldn't mean much of anything.

People spend so much money during the holidays on gifts. Some go broke or further in debt in doing so.

I truly think if you want to really have a Merry Little Christmas, just surround yourself with those that you love. Those are the precious times that you remember. The laughs, the stories, the hugs....just being together will always mean more than money and presents, and those are the things that will last a lifetime.