One more day (yeah yeah yeah)

In less than an hour it will be Christmas day.

I picture myself as a child at this hour, tossing and turning in bed while my hundredth sheep jumps over a fence, desperately attempting to get my mind to stop revving itself up in anticipation for the next morning. Devan slumbers soundly beside me, and Nadia and I are already very aware of the poking and prodding it will take to get her out of bed in the morning, because heaven forbid if one of us opens their stocking before all of us are there. 

I can see myself as a teenager, sleeping a little sounder now, although the early morning hours will still mean a poke and a prod to the sister on my left, as the tradition of Christmas morning still held pretty strong with us kids until we were all out of the house. But Christmas will have started to mean a whole lot more to me at that point, and I can picture myself sitting under the lit tree with my bible in my hands, my favorite Christmas song Immanuel playing on repeat in the background. 

I am bothered a little this year. Christmas, without question, has become exactly what it wasn't meant to be. It is a loud, in your face, full of pressure and disappointment type of holiday. Jesus Christ was born in such a simple way. Okay, maybe Mary wouldn't agree. I'm not the one who was breathing through labour pains in the middle of the night, only to have the only person that could have perhaps given us lodging say, "Too bad, so sad - should have made reservations!" and have to sprawl out in the middle of a barn floor while my squeamish husband kneels beside me and holds my hand, wincing with every tendon-crushing squeeze. It couldn't have been pretty. But maybe that's part of it. Peace, grace, and beauty were born out of a chaotic situation. But the part I want to focus on is the fact that Jesus, our King of Kings really did come in the most natural, simple way. And when you consider what this celebration of this event has become, something just doesn't resonate. How do we put our focus where it needs to be, but still enjoy the good things that this season brings? The thing is, I'm just as stuck on how exactly to do this as everyone else is.

It's something to think about. As Hudson (and future children) gets older, I want him to know exactly what it is that we're really so darn happy about, and be excited along with us. I want to put the focus where it needs to be. While I was holding him before I put him in his crib tonight, I was explaining what the Christmas Eve service was all about, and told him the basics of the Christmas story. He listened intently, saying "mm-hmm" whenever there was a pause. I know in my heart that he can't grasp everything I am telling him - but I want to start when he's young so that he won't miss anything as we go along. 

Here are some images from our blessed Christmas Eve:

There were play-dough induced smiles...

..."gackies"...

...acts of lounging during The Grinch...

...hums of "Oh tidings of tuna and cheese"...

...and pumpkin muffins and coffee after the Christmas Eve service.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!