Tolkien teaches us to leave a legacy

Sometimes I make myself exhausted with how much I proclaim, “I can’t believe it’s already XXX! Time is flying!” but it’s true. The older I get, the faster it goes, and this Christmas season is no exception. My second daughter turns 14 next week, I’m trying to finish us some Christmas gifting, and I haven’t even started my two favorite books that I read each Advent. It snuck up on me, yet again!

Are you joining me in this feeling? It’s not a bad thing, necessarily. We are having a festive and exciting go of it…recitals and orchestra performances. Times with friends and plenty of church activities.

But then I read a story like I’m going to share below and it’s jolts me back into the ever-nagging reality: life is short and my children are growing quickly. You only have so many Christmas mornings with them in pajamas, rubbing their eyes and walking down those stairs in the wee hours of December 25th. When it’s gone, you can try to recreate (trust me, I will) but it’s special because it’s scarce. So, treasure it, dear friend.

And enjoy this wonderful remembrance that I stole, word for word, from an X account that I very much enjoy.

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Every year, from 1920 to 1943, the Tolkien children received letters from Father Christmas himself. They came with tales and illustrations of Santa Claus and his helpers — each with a North Pole stamp designed by J.R.R. Tolkien.