December 24, 2012

Daily Photo Tour - The Beauty of Christmas


Christmastime is one of those times that has a way of making you stop and look inward to see how things are going. Sure there's the hustle and the bustle as well but with hope and warmth and love saturating so much around you it's hard not to find a moment to see how your life matches up to these virtuous themes. Disneyland is a perfect place to find such a moment. Mine was standing right here, at the entrance of Sleeping Beauty Castle, all aglow with her Christmas attire. Contrary to what that plentiful picture takers behind me must have thought, I was not trying to photo bomb their images. I just wanted to capture mine.

This year has taught me a great many things, the most important of which is to value the people around me. It's a common thread in Christmas cards, movies and music. Sounds easy enough and I thought it was a lesson I had already learned. But I realized that my actions weren't showing the people around them how much I care about them; how much they mean to me; how my life wouldn't be the same without them. I've allowed myself to become busy with things that when seen by the light of day, pale in comparison.

The thing is, it's an easy rut to fall into. The sun rises and it sets. Each new day brings about any number of mundane responsibilities that need tending to after which you grow tired. When such things have bogged you down, there are no spirits of Christmas past, present or future to visit you in the night and point you in the right direction. Should you recognize such things on your own, there's no angelic chorus that sings overhead. There's no big drama about it whatsoever. It's up to you to wake up every morning and decide that your actions will show the people you love how much you care about them, tired or not.

But, you know, the good thing is that as long as you have breath in your body, it's never too late. You can change. You can set out in a new direction and should you fall, you can learn to pick yourself back up again. The beauty of Christmas is not the things, the food or the time off but the loved ones we share them with.

Wishing you the most beautiful Christmas...

The Beauty of Christmas - Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland during Christmas
Photo by Matthew Hansen

Comments (4)

On December 25, 2012 at 9:26 PM , Anonymous said...

Thank you Matthew for the wonderful thought and picture!

 
On December 26, 2012 at 9:37 PM , Joey James said...

Merry Christmas to all three of you! Your pictures are such a joy and inspiration in my life. For Christmas I got Photomatix Pro, which I learned about here, so my pictures are starting to look pretty close to yours. :) Thank you for continuing to share your amazing gifts with the world; I pray you never stop. God bless.

 
On December 28, 2012 at 5:30 PM , Joseph said...

...that was the sound of my jaw dropping Matt! Amazing work!!!

 
On December 31, 2012 at 12:51 PM , Matthew Hansen said...

Thanks everyone! :)