This is a beautiful but crazy season. More things to get done, more places to go, and more people to see. Highs and lows come swiftly, leaving you in a swirl. At least it’s been that way for me.
One of the joys of writing this little blog is the “me, too” response I get. While I usually set out to share things that are on my heart, it turns out that I sometimes touch on things that are on your heart, too. And that “heart connection” means tons to me. It’s really one of the main reasons I write here.
And so, with a jammed schedule on this “Eve of Christmas Eve,” I hope you won’t mind my sharing my short post of what was on my heart from last year at this time. It still “fits” for me, and hopefully you will find it worth a quick read.
I hope and pray that you are able to make some beautiful memories this Christmas. God’s peace and blessings to you.
(Originally posted December 24, 2012.)
Thanks to A Christmas Story, I can never see the word “fragile” without pronouncing it fraGEElay in my head. And on this Christmas Eve, things can indeed be fragile…huge ToDo lists…family gatherings…full schedules…exhausted parents trying to provide the “perfect” Christmas for their kids…It can get messy and broken pretty quickly. So as you would with fragile things, be gentle.
Though I have plenty of dysfunctional memories of this time of year (don’t we all?), I have so many lovely ones, too. Thankfully, the memories of things like my mom threatening to have Santa pass over our house if we weren’t asleep in two minutes (no pressure!) are far outnumbered with ones like having my dad read Santa Mouse to us, sledding with cousins, and counting Christmas trees in the windows during any nighttime car ride.
Another favorite memory of mine is the placing of the baby Jesus in the manger of our Nativity scene on Christmas Eve. We knew Christmas had really come when that happened. And for any who may be reading who don’t hold Christmas as a time to feel the blessings of the birth of the Christ child, please do not be offended as I wish those who do a merry Christmas. (I’m hoping we’re cool with it, as I would not be upset if someone wished me a happy Hanukah or Kwanzaa.) I wish everyone blessings…and if life is not treating you gently, I pray you have people in your life who do. Or at least love you as they help you pick up the pieces.
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I love your joyful Christmas memories. For me, Christmas was imminenet when we drove home from my aunt’s house every Christmas Eve and looked for Rudolph’s nose in the sky. And you know something — we always saw it. 🙂
Of course! That’s the magic of Christmas! One year as we were nearly home on Christmas Eve, Santa walked out of the front door of a home down the street. Well…you never saw a kid want to get home and get herself in bed faster!! 🙂
Thanks for the kind comment!