Preparing for Christmas

I woke up this morning, and the first thing that popped into my head was all of the stuff I have to do to get ready for Christmas weekend.  Cards to be signed, gifts to be wrapped, bread to be baked, groceries to be bought, etc.  Realizing that I was overwhelmed and stressed out, I stopped to take a moment to read the daily readings and try to relax.  The beginning of the first reading is "Shout for joy."  When was the last time I shouted for joy? Mostly, I'm just trying to keep my head above the water and struggling to breath through the craziness of daily life.
The gospel reading tells the story of Mary arriving at the home of her cousin, Elizabeth.  She is greeted with "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb...how does this happen that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"  As I read this, two things crossed my mind. One..Elizabeth and her baby were filled with the Spirit and immediately recognized the Son of God. Two, "how does this happen that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"  She was astounded by the presence of Mary.  She was humble enough to acknowledge the blessing in this visitation.  Wow.  This really made me sit and think for a moment. 
What am I preparing for?  Gifts? Bread? Dinner?  ....JESUS.  This isn't about having everything finished, and perfect for guests, or for me as the personal over achiever that I am.  This is about being prepared for Jesus to enter into my life, and being humble enough to recognize Him.  Elizabeth was humbled by the presence of His mother.  We have the gift of Jesus every day of our lives, and how often do we stop and think, like Elizabeth, "Who am I?"