A Merry Christmas looks different to everyone. For me, it's everyone in our family being togethher, laughing and talking at once.
Last night was just that. Our kids have all grown older, (one married with a family of her own and the others who love to sleep in) we've traded opening gifts on Christmas Morning for opening on Christmas Eve. This helps Alayna & Wes celebrate with their own family in the morning, the other girls get to sleep in, and Randy & I have a quiet couple of hours before everyone else gets up!
Chrimas Eve has become our time! Together, we attended our church's Christmas Eve service. There are always many people there, so it's good to see people that are home for the holidays! It was good, that service is different every year. This year we were challenged to, at some point during the evening or during Christmas day, read the Christmas story with our family from our Bibles.
(we did this every year on Christmas Eve right before bed when I was a little girl, but we have been lesss than consistent in reading it with our family)
As we were leaving the church building, Madison asked if she could read it to our family sometime during the evening! This was a huge surprise to me--the younger girls really struggle to read, and for her to volunteer made me very happy!!!
We had dinner together, and laughed a lot. Will was in rare form! Then the presents got passed out, and ripped open! There were some surprises, and more laughter! Ally took it all really well, getting passed from mom to g-mar to grandpa to any of the three very proud aunts. We all just enjoyed watching her sleep and dream her little new-born baby dreams!
Alayna & Wes started packing up everything that was to go to their house, then it happened! Madison said, "I wanted to read the Christmas story!"
--Side note: My very wise friend, Rita (who just lost her mom), told me that she was 'getting through' this season by focusing on those of her family that are here...not the ones she's missing so much. Because she's wise, and I think she's really right, I decided to make a conscious effort to do just that. Focus on our kids that are with us. Not the one I miss so very much. I also remembered that I had chosen to Celebrate. No time to be sad...not this night, anyway!
And, so, I sat beside Madi, (in case she struggled with a word) and held little Ally. We all gathered in our family room, and listened. She did a great job. This was a truly blessed event for us. And so, just when the story was over, we were thanking each other, saying good byes and starting to get 'mushy'...
Will walks in, in just the way a three year old can, with his little plaid Christmas pants, and tie, tap tap shoes and corduroy 'cap'...and his new pirate eye patch covering one eye, and carrying not the pirate 'knife' he'd gotten, no, he was carrying a huge hunk of ham that he'd helped himself to from the kitchen! Hilarious!!!
Today, we'll cook a big brunch a little later on, after the girls wake from their sleep... then play some games, maybe watch a movie...and then, we'll gather together again tonigt to eat steak and laugh some more!
A Merry Little Christmas, indeed! --But Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19
1 comment:
What a wonderful time you had! I love your conscious effort to focus on the family here rather than on the family missing. A lesson I have learned so many times and yet seem to forget just as many times! I'm a "half-empty" girl trying to become a "half-full" girl. We've spent the last two days trying to keep Nathan "out of" and "off of," and still enjoying every minute (of naptime). Just kidding. And yes, I certainly do Facebook! I looked for you but couldn't figure out from the teeny, tiny pictures if any were you. I'm fairly easy to find, so send me a friend request and we'll "hook up" that way. See you 1/10! :)
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