As I sit here in the very early hours of the morning, listening to the sounds of Christmas music by Mercy Me on TV and the snow plow outside in the cul-de-sac, in the soft glow of Christmas tree lights and a warm fireplace, I felt compelled to stay up even later to blog about our Christmas here at home in Kansas before I forgot the details that made it so special.
We decided last year after years of too much holiday travel between relatives homes, to let Santa come to our house in 2009 for a change. I think the kids were overdue and it eliminated all the rush & stress of packing, traveling, unpacking, transporting gifts, etc.. in a month where schedules are already jammed with too many activities and festivities.
We started December with a bang - all 3 kids and myself were busy rehearsing and performing in Christmas at Resurrection - 8 performances in 7 days. But we took out one night just before it began to attend the Raytown Baptist Church’s Heartland of America Christmas Pageant and that was indeed a treat. Since I’m usually in our annual church production, it’s nice to sit back and watch another church’s show for the pure joy of it. Theirs was indeed amazing. It began with Christmas and took us right through to Christ’s resurrection. Fast forward a week to COR’s opening night Christmas at Resurrection (CAR) performance and our opening night brunch after the show here in our house. I had so much fun preparing for it and, of course, had way too much food but had a great time opening our home to those who dedicated so much time to planning CAR all year! Thank you to my sweet friends Kelsey and Tracey who helped me set up and loaned me serving pieces!
After CAR, we busied ourselves with Christmas decorations, shopping, several more holiday parties, holiday cards, driving around looking at holiday lights, getting lost at Longview lake (again), baking goodies, eating goodies, visiting Crown Center’s gingerbread village, Union Station’s Holiday Train display, shopping at the Plaza with its famous lights, writing letters to Santa, seeing “Little House on the Prairie” at the Coterie and more shopping.
Then, school took a break, the shopping was done, the food prepared, activities ceased for a few days and we gathered, just our family, for a quiet celebration of Jesus’ birth. Since we were pelted by an ice storm and Josh had strep, we opted out of attending the Christmas Eve candlelight service and watched it right here in our home - online. We brought the Mac to the living room coffee table and all sat around watching the service via the internet’s live streaming broadcast. We even lit candles with the congregation at the end. Then we Skyped Terry’s relatives in Indiana for the annual reading of “Twas a Night Before Christmas” followed by the Christmas story from Luke in the Bible. Pappy (Terry’s dad) closed in prayer. It was fun being able to join the two families together for this rich tradition. Afterwards, everyone opened one gift. Then Caleb helped me put cookies & milk out for Santa, carrots for the reindeer. Then everyone was tucked snug in their beds while the blizzard winds blew in 8 inches of snow overnight. We woke to a beautiful White Christmas! Santa had come. Presents were opened. Wrapping paper was everywhere. Caleb got his Gators helmet & Tebow jersey. Josh got his flip video. LookNam got her macbook case. Terry got his Garmin and Moshi. I got my kitchen speakers for my iphone. Even Maverick got a new bone. Thanks to help from Hen House, we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner followed by an evening of Christmas movies and just plain relaxing. Looking back, I’m glad we were home this year - especially since Josh got sick with 103 fever on Christmas Eve. Maverick was happy to share it with us too. But, I did miss being with all the aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, and sisters. Sadly, however, as we get older, there are fewer of the older members of our family still with us. We lost Grandma Vi this year. Only Pappy remains as our last parent. It is up to our generation to carry on the traditions of Christmas. I write them here in detail so they will be captured and preserved in the blog book I hope to publish one day. Traditions are indeed rich and so much a joyous part of holiday celebrations.
Today, while Terry & Josh saw Avatar at the theater, I did venture out for a few post-Christmas sales but the snow began to fall again and chased me home early. At one point I was sitting in my car at an intersection listening to Mercy Me’s new song “I Heard the Bells” as I watched a homeless man begging for money on the corner. Normally I would have been irritated by this potential scam, however, today I reached into my wallet and handed him a $5 bill that I found in my wallet (everyone knows I don’t usually carry any cash). I could still hear the lyrics of the song...”Peace on Earth.” It was the right thing to do.
Thanks to the kindness of a stranger, my car (decorated like a reindeer with antlers & red nose) got a push and I (in my Santa hat) was able to navigate my way out of the Target parking lot and arrived safely home. Now we have 4 more inches of snow... measuring over a foot outside. It’s perfect. No one has to rush off to work or school for a week, so we can stay home, relax, and re-connect as a family.
In my next post I’ll write about the highlights of 2009 as we close in on New Year’s Eve and the end of the decade. But for now...it’s time for me to snuggle up in my cozy bed with my favorite dog at my feet...
What a wonderfully blessed time is Christmas. Thanks be to God for sending his son Jesus whom we celebrate in this season of giving.
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