Before Christmas, most of our activities are tied to the calendar or the clock. What days do we get off? What time do we go to church? When do we get the tree? What days do we see the family? What time should I call the folks? When do we do the shopping? What time should the roast go in the oven? These are all measurements of quantity time.AFTER the Holidays, we reflect on our time in terms of quality time. We had a great day! The dinner was fabulous! It was so good to see the relatives! The neighborhood lights were amazing! The Christmas Eve service was very moving! Somehow, we carve out a quantity of time and invest it hoping to have a quality experience. If we only spend 10 minutes with a family member, that may not be enough quantity of time to have a quality experience. But if we spend the whole day and don't connect or relate or interact in any meaningful way, we have the quantity but miss out on the quality. Quantity without quality can be like a body without a spirit...a corpse. Quality without quantity can be a like spirit without a body...a ghost.
This year we were blessed to have both and it was a wonderful Holiday. In some ways, it was one of the best! Next year, God willing, we will have our first Christmas in 20 years with a baby . I'm already looking forward to the quantity of time we'll set aside for that special time.
