Finding Delight in the Imperfect: A Christmas Story

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 65

Susan G.S. Abel

Dec 22, 2023

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas, my friends!

Today, I only have a story for you, a story with a moral.

I received my first Christmas present on December 1st. It might be one of the best gifts I’ve ever received.

My Christmas Plan

I had a great plan. After all, as I noted last week, I am the planner in the family.

The week after Thanksgiving, I would put up my Christmas tree and decorate the top half. With that done, it would be ready for small hands to help me decorate the bottom. When I say small hands, you know who I’m talking about. My two granddaughters and their parents were coming over for Friday night pizza and Advent calendars.

Somehow, the tree didn’t get unpacked until Friday afternoon. The small hands were coming over in less than four hours!

I had visions to make happen!

My plan was an epic failure.

I wrangled with the tree lighting only to discover a third of the lights didn’t work. There were pockets of darkness on my tree. This had to be fixed! It would require a strand of lights that I didn’t have.

So the girls wouldn’t be tempted, I didn’t get the ornaments out. I could fix the lighting, and decorating could take place next week. Luckily, my granddaughters didn’t know my plan. A sad, partially lit tree would have to do for pizza night.

I was disappointed. My plans had failed. My vision was not to be.

One person’s imperfect execution is another’s perfection.

There’s always a happy hullabaloo when the girls arrive—greetings, announcements, barking, and sometimes, screaming. The latter is usually the two-year-old screaming at the dog. He is obsessed with her in a “you are the best source of food” way. He torments her.

That Friday, safely in the door, all accounted for, a scream was heard in the family room.

My immediate response was to yell at the dog. He must have been trying to lick his favorite food source.

My son went to see what was going on. He was the first to realize it was not the dog.

It was not a scream of torment. It was a scream of delight.

My two-year-old granddaughter was screaming, “Christmas tree!” (We still don’t understand everything she says without context and repetition.)

My six-year-old granddaughter wanted to start decorating. I was happy I had a few antique bells handy to hang on the tree.

Things were looking up for me and my plan.

The Moral of My Story.

My granddaughters gave me the gift of a life lesson.

They reminded me perfection should not be the goal.

At that moment in time, my partially lighted tree was the best tree I could offer. The results of my imperfect offering were delight and excitement over decorating.

Striving for perfection leads to stress and disappointment. I’ve learned to be flexible enough not to get stressed. But I was definitely disappointed when my plan didn’t work out as expected.

All of my disappointment melted away with the reaction of my granddaughters. My imperfect Christmas tree was perfect for them.

Perfection doesn’t dictate happiness.

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good:

Perfection is impossible to obtain. So why not embrace the benefits of imperfections?
Has it ever occurred to you that, in many ways, Christmas is an inclusive holiday? I hadn’t considered it until I read this article about the song “White Christmas.” ❄️
Have you ever wondered how we came to associate cinnamon as a holiday scent? You can read the history in the scents of the winter holidays.
Reindeer get their moment in the spotlight each year with the legend of Santa Claus. This article about reindeer is more than legend. 🦌
We often look to the sky for reasons other than looking for flying reindeer. This photographer captured three phenomena at once. And how about a quadruple rainbow? 🌈🌈🌈🌈
Ever wonder about the origin of The Twelve Days of Christmas? This article explains how it predates the Christmas tradition. 🦢🦢
It’s good to look past imperfections and be grateful for what we have now. We are each rich in our own way. This is a good time to slow down and celebrate your abundance.

Thank you for reading! I hope you have a delightful holiday celebration. Perhaps you will experience delight in the imperfect.

💚

Susan

A few extra thoughts:

I have four friends who have lost loved ones in the last month. Be mindful of those in your life that are in need of support.

Each week, I encourage you to share my newsletter. This past week, my son shared a newsletter with me. He thought I might appreciate it. I did, and more than that, I was touched that he thought of me! So, if this newsletter makes you think of someone, share it with them. They will be pleased with the gesture. (That goes for any newsletter you read, not just mine.)

Do you have a story about your imperfect being perfect for someone else? I would love to hear it.

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