i love Christmas. i always have. best holiday ever, in my opinion, with Thanksgiving coming in at second place. Christ's miraculous birth in Bethlehem and the peace, hope and joy that brings to my every day life, well~ it is sooo worth celebrating...God's love came down into our world and changed my eternity...."because of His great love...." wow...that mind blowing detail can get lost amidst the hustle and bustle and noise and chaos and planning, but what is Christmas without this??
my mom made Christmas awesome when we were kids. my dad was a willing and happy participant, but there was no doubt that the details of making our family Christmases memorable went to my mom. she enjoyed it so much. she still does. dad earned the money to pay for these "details". no surprise there, someone had to bring in the pay cheque. much the same in our house now, actually. i'll never forget the year i convinced my mom to bump up our gift-giving night (we usually did it on or close to Christmas Eve, but sometimes it was a few days before then) because of the unbearable anticipation i was experiencing. she agreed, with not too much convincing even, which i remember being surprised by. i think it was the year i received the prized Easy Bake Oven. i still have lots of other standout memories too. i remember stringing popcorn and cranberries for the live tree, baking and consuming loads of Christmas treats, Christmas Eve church services together by candlelight, decorating our home, anonymous giving to those in need, hours of music by Nana Mouskouri and Evie (i was always in awe of how pretty Evie was...and the Christmas season wasn't official until Come On Ring Those Bells was playing loudly on a Saturday morning with me perched by the big box speakers...) belted out from the record player or the tape recorder. i remember receiving cherished gifts, board games played, late nights with time together by the crackling fireplace...etc....more than ever, i'm thankful for a blessed childhood including wonderfully simple and predictable holidays that shaped me profoundly for these later years. and to even have the motivation to continue some of these same traditions for my own kids based on the joy and stability it brought to my life, year after year...wow, it was like a gift i didn't even consciously know i was receiving every. single. year. nothing packaged, nothing purchased~ yet still the best gift parents can ever give their kids. and i married a man with the same feelings about Christmas and his childhood memories. his part in his memories may have been a bit more devious, however...because i know for certain i never went into my parents' closet and snooped at my presents early by unwrapping already wrapped presents and then proceeding to play with the unwrapped toys before putting them back in their packages and re-wrapping them at the end of the evening while his parents were out of the house.... :) (who does that!?!?!) but still, there was stable and consistent love and warmth and traditions in his home too. another priceless gift given to a happy son. oh, and not to mention the huge dose of grace considering his parents didn't cancel presents altogether that year....
so, as we dive into the busyness of this coming month, i'm remembering the Christmases past that formed the very way i perceive this amazing holiday. I'm thankful for Boney M and the classic, timeless CD (favourite one of all time!!!) that reminds me of Mary's Boy Child, the tiny baby, the newborn King born from humble beginnings into a wooden stable with livestock , who grew to become a man who then made the Ultimate Sacrifice for all of mankind. i'm so undeserving~ yet forever grateful...for both the Giver and the Gift this holiday season.
Merry Christmas!
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