Christmas Time is Here

Is Christmas not one of the most nostalgic times of year? I think it is. I remember past Chritmases, running downstairs to see what Santa had left and then negotiating with my brother on how long we needed to crawl back in bed before we would wake our parents up. I wonder if they liked waking up at 6 to our excitement or wished they could have slept in? It's their own fault for getting us all those cool presents!

As Addy is celebrating her 2nd Christmas, but first one with eyes that soak everything up, I think a lot about the traditions we will create for our family. What do I want her to remember? I'd like to think she will remember hearing the true Christmas story each Christmas Eve. That she'll remember going to church and singing Christmas songs. I hope she'll remember joy and family.

I don't know how I feel about Santa Claus. I've had varying good and bad thoughts about whether or not we should spin that magical web for Addy or not. Christmas has really become a difficult holiday for me. One where I struggle to balance the real reason for celebration with the other wonderful things the season brings (family, friends, parties, cookies, snowmen, etc).

This Christmas will be hard, I imagine. My mom's favorite holiday, and all my memories coming back to me. So many of the things she loved came around Christmas time, and she went all out. I'll miss her childlike excitement for the season, her embarrasing amount of Christmas trees, her overindulgence with presents, and her baking. I hope her Christmas is the best she's ever had. I hope it is spent in the presence of our Lord. The last few were spent with fear, pain, sorrow, and tiredness, but now she can rest in the Lord, have complete healing, and surely, surely, she's singing in the choir.