christmas and stuffing

christmas. that time of year so full of joy, world junior hockey championships, and ...busyness. this christmas is the first christmas for karen and i as a married couple. it is also the first christmas for me to take charge of a church for a month. our pastor is leaving for a month on a mission trip, so yours truly is in charge for four weeks. not that this is a big deal. it is just that i now will have extra responsibilities on top of my regular ones through a major holiday season.

now, you might be thinking "whiner, get over it." that's what i would be thinking if i were you. see the thing is, holidays are supposed to be relaxing, refreshing, celebratory. i am fearful that this christmas season will not be that for me. sure there will be moments of peace crammed forcefully somewhere within the christmas eve service planning, christmas sunday sermon prep, gift shopping, family visiting, new year's eve party planning, etc...

it'll be a blast.

my question is this: why do we cram our holiday seasons so full of activity and bustling that we can no longer enjoy them to their fullest potential? at least i find that it is often this way for me around christmastime.