Christmas Eve

Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves. ~Eric Sevareid

I love our little family's Christmas Eve traditions. This year they took on a couple of new twists. Our 20 year old cousin (essentially our little brother), Scott, is here with us, so it has been a blast to have his sense of humor and great abilities with our kids. Our annual tradition of caroling with the kids from the group home was not possible to pull off due to the absence of a piano player, so they accompanied us to church instead. (More on that in a subsequent post--huge epiphany for me during the service.) Our dinner plans also experienced a last minute change, so we wound up eating out. I cannot even pinpoint what made it any different than countless other times we have dined at this establishment, but it was a really fun, laughter-filled memory.

I love the anticipation, the wonder, the planning all coming to fruition! I love the teamwork with my husband--the whispering, the knowing smiles as we think about what the response will be to all our preparations in the morning. I even love that I have to repeatedly shush him because all he wants to do is try all out the new toys (especially the very noisy things!) I laugh that we have the same conversation every year about how 'unfair' it is that Santa gets to give the big, fun stuff. I love that it is a lesson even to us, the 'mature grown ups' about the simple joy of giving without credit. Parents (me included) all seem to moan and groan about the frustrating toy packaging, the last minute runs for batteries, the time involved in assembling things--but seriously, the giving side of things is incredibly rewarding and fun!

I am exhausted and I know my little people will undoubtedly be at my bedside in just a few hours. (The forecast of the possibility of snow when we wake up is absolutely more that my little family of Georgians can handle!!)

Tonight I am just full of joy, peace and gratitude. Thank you to those of you who repeatedly come back here to read my rambling. Your encouragement that I am not alone in my thoughts/prayers/struggles as a wife/mother/woman is better than any therapy! I am immensely blessed by what God does through this little slice of my life. You are a gift to me. Merry Christmas!

A parting thought that I came across tonight...

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly. ~Andy Rooney