The stockings were hung, by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there! Unless St. Nick is coming to our house… cause in the hectic I never managed to finish decorating the mantles at either fireplace. When that jolly ole elf arrives tonight, he is going to have to dig the stockings out of my Christmas tote so he can fill them.
But if Santa has been watching, here is what he has seen
this week. Cookies were made, decorated,
and eaten with a lot of hard work, determination, and giggles. Christmas cards were delivered to local
friends with a smile and a few even got a hug (if you aren’t local I’m just
hoping it arrives in the mail before the New Year). Christmas movies were watched with sweet
snuggles all around. The older two
proudly shopped and picked out their own gifts for their siblings and each
parent (and so far have managed to keep secret what they got us!) We have viewed fantastic Christmas light displays
with awe and wonder, and washed/set aside the Christmas jammies everyone is
going to wear tonight. And while the surface
looks like adventures, what we have really been doing this week is making memories,
sharing joy, doing things for one another out of love, and celebrating the
birth of our Savior.
If you ask (a) every
song that comes on the radio must either be “Joy to the World” or “Go Tell it
on the Mountain.” He has memorized some Christmas verses this year and is happy
to share them. He and I work a lot together
on scripture memorization (my feelings on the importance of that is a whole
lesson in itself), but more than just memorization we talk a lot about context. We were working on Luke 2:12, and the second
day he wanted to try it all on his own before practicing it together. He proudly announced “This is your clue. There is a baby in a feed bunk!” Traditional wording, not quite. Context-
pretty spot on. As (b) decorated
Christmas cookies there was a candle sitting on the counter burning to fill the
house with the smell of Christmas.
Before he ate his cookie, I caught him leaning over the candle singing “Happy
Birthday.” Happy Birthday, Jesus has been a favorite Christmas takeaway for him
at two years old. I think they get
it.
Late on the night of the 23rd I was trying to plan
a special goodbye from their elf, Elfie (the story goes that he flies back to
the North Pole on Christmas Eve, so the morning of the 24th is the
last time they go looking for him in the house.) As I walked into the basement living room I
couldn’t help but notice the way (a) had set up their little nativity scene. Instead of posing it facing outward as we
typically see, he had every person and animal gathered into a semicircle turned
toward and focused on the Baby Jesus. It
melted my heart, and made me thankful. I
threw out my original plan and took Elfie to join the scene of those who stared
adoringly at Jesus.
No, this Christmas I didn’t get it all done (case in point-
the presents I haven’t even started wrapping yet), but we got a lot done. A lot of the good stuff. And that’s what Christmas is all about-
giving adoration to the one who gave the best gift of all. Remembering the promise he fulfilled, and
thanking him for ALL the good gifts he gives us every single day (especially
the three snuggled around me watching Christmas movies with tummies full of
cookies).
Merry Christmas from my family and One Life Out Loud!!
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and
they will call him Immanuel, which means God with us.” Matthew 1:23
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