A Very Non-Scrooge Christmas
I only bought three Christmas presents this year. And it's been the best December I can remember.
Please don't label me a hopeless, heartless Scrooge just yet. Anyone who knows me soon finds out I have an unusual enthusiasm for Christmas. I'm that person listening to Christmas music in October and decking the halls before Thanksgiving has arrived.
But, I needed a break. I longed for a slow, quiet December. I needed space to remember what it's all about. I said "No," to a lot of the normal December stress. I didn't do Christmas photos. (I read a few years ago that New Years photo cards are totally a thing. I'm hoping they still are because that's my game plan this year.) I didn't make a list of all the cookies I wanted to bake. And buying less gifts happened without me even trying.
Normally, my family trades names, but we chose not to this year for multiple reasons that I will not bore you with. Chad's family has never traded names so that wasn't an issue. Chad and I have both received larger gifts (think a snow camouflage muzzleloader for him, and original artwork for me) from each other in the last few months and decided we didn't need any more stuff. So that left me with only one little girl to buy for... Vienna Brooke.
Traditions bring me so much joy and this year I really spent some time thinking about what traditions I would like to start with my own little family. One I decided to start is giving Vienna a new pair of pajamas every Christmas Eve. She can wear them to bed and have something new and fun to wear on Christmas morning. I also got her a book of bedtime stories and a toy phone. She used to play with one of my old phones but then we had an incident involving the microwave, the toddler, and said phone. It ended with black smoke, melted plastic, stinking kitchen, and a sobbing toddler. But that has nothing to do with Christmas except to say that is the reason for purchasing a new toy phone.
Eliminating some of those normal and perfectly wonderful Christmas activities, left me with Time To Think. I wondered what it must have felt like to live before Jesus was born. To live in that state of waiting and anticipation.
And then I realized, their waiting probably looked a lot like my waiting. I'm not waiting for him to come as a babe. I'm anticipating his return as a king. Some days, I think about it a lot and wonder if today could be the day. Other days, I get busy doing dishes and laundry and I forget all about my soon returning King.
Most likely, Mary was a lot like you and I. She probably didn't think about the coming Messiah every minute. But she believed. She never doubted the promise. She always held on to hope. Am I?
Pondering these things has made me walk slow this Christmas. The wonder of it all has filled my heart with hope like never before.
Merriest Christmas from my house to yours!
Please don't label me a hopeless, heartless Scrooge just yet. Anyone who knows me soon finds out I have an unusual enthusiasm for Christmas. I'm that person listening to Christmas music in October and decking the halls before Thanksgiving has arrived.
But, I needed a break. I longed for a slow, quiet December. I needed space to remember what it's all about. I said "No," to a lot of the normal December stress. I didn't do Christmas photos. (I read a few years ago that New Years photo cards are totally a thing. I'm hoping they still are because that's my game plan this year.) I didn't make a list of all the cookies I wanted to bake. And buying less gifts happened without me even trying.
Normally, my family trades names, but we chose not to this year for multiple reasons that I will not bore you with. Chad's family has never traded names so that wasn't an issue. Chad and I have both received larger gifts (think a snow camouflage muzzleloader for him, and original artwork for me) from each other in the last few months and decided we didn't need any more stuff. So that left me with only one little girl to buy for... Vienna Brooke.
Traditions bring me so much joy and this year I really spent some time thinking about what traditions I would like to start with my own little family. One I decided to start is giving Vienna a new pair of pajamas every Christmas Eve. She can wear them to bed and have something new and fun to wear on Christmas morning. I also got her a book of bedtime stories and a toy phone. She used to play with one of my old phones but then we had an incident involving the microwave, the toddler, and said phone. It ended with black smoke, melted plastic, stinking kitchen, and a sobbing toddler. But that has nothing to do with Christmas except to say that is the reason for purchasing a new toy phone.
Eliminating some of those normal and perfectly wonderful Christmas activities, left me with Time To Think. I wondered what it must have felt like to live before Jesus was born. To live in that state of waiting and anticipation.
And then I realized, their waiting probably looked a lot like my waiting. I'm not waiting for him to come as a babe. I'm anticipating his return as a king. Some days, I think about it a lot and wonder if today could be the day. Other days, I get busy doing dishes and laundry and I forget all about my soon returning King.
Most likely, Mary was a lot like you and I. She probably didn't think about the coming Messiah every minute. But she believed. She never doubted the promise. She always held on to hope. Am I?
Pondering these things has made me walk slow this Christmas. The wonder of it all has filled my heart with hope like never before.
Merriest Christmas from my house to yours!
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