Well, another Christmas has come and gone. My goal for a stress-free season was not met 100% but looking back, I can proudly say that I only had one meltdown. It was this morning. I woke up on the 26th and reality started to sink in. Maybe it was the clutter in the kitchen or the mess in the living room. Perhaps it was realizing that I have a million things to do for work before the semester starts again. Or it could’ve been the cookies I didn’t get to bake or the Christmas cards I didn’t get to send…I don’t know what it was, but as soon as my poor husband entered the kitchen, there I was, like a ticking bomb, waiting for something to trigger me so I could explode.
After a long nap, however, I feel much better. Now that all is well again with my soul, I sit at my computer and begin to type. From here, I can see my two boys enjoying the wii they have been longing for and finally received this year. I also see my husband enjoying some much needed “chilling-time” as he watches them play. I think back and smile as I remember our Christmas gathering with the Dieters. Every Dieter-gathering is always a sure source of noise, food and laughter that provides children and adults with opportunities to make fun of one another, catch up and create new and unforgettable memories in our hearts.
I also remember the excitement and anticipation that kept my sons sleepless on Christmas Eve. On the night of the 24th, after Church, we came home, ate some treats, and opened our Christmas PJs. Grant announced that it was time to go to bed, so we escorted them to their room, and as they laid all comfy and snug in their beds, Dan read the Christmas story as narrated by the Gospel of Luke. It was a silent night inside and out of our house as we listened to the story of how the Word became flesh. Just as Dan was finishing the lines that describe the angel telling the shepherds about the good news, the rhythmical cadence of the reading was broken by Dylan’s sweet voice exclaiming, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
Needless to say, we had a good laugh. Light has indeed entered into this dark world and the Spirit of the Lord does descend to indwell in us. This truth becomes evident in our midst in the most simplest of ways. Dylan has been pressing the button on the hand of a little Linu’s plush doll I got last year in an After-Christmas Sale at Hallmark. I pulled it out this year when we decorated the house after Thanksgiving, and since then, Dylan has been fascinated by it. The words have now a very familiar ring to him, so much so that he is able to recognize them whenever he hears them. What he doesn’t realize is that his statement speaks volumes of truth to all who’d hear him.
That is, indeed, what Christmas is all about. In the end, the cookies, the cards, the presents, the decorations, the stress, it all fades away as we face the Light of the World who came to us when the time was full.
I pray that you are able to sit back and contemplate the moments that make your Christmas special and real. I pray that Christ has been re-born in your hearts this year. I pray that the simplicity and humility of the conditions upon which our Savior was born 2000 years ago speak to you today and show you the way of what our lives should become. I pray that we let the Light enter into our heart tonight so darkness dissipates and it turns bright again, just like the noon day.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2: 10-14 KJ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qcolo8KlKjw&context=C39ff596ADOEgsToPDskJ7UCksJbcD6Ltkt2TSXD54
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| Click on the link below to watch Dylan saying his now famous lines. I hope it brings a smile to your heart. |
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