Christmas Blessing
Christmas.
A time of peace and joy and family and loving and giving. A time to remember the cause of the celebration - the Lord Jesus, the God of all, becoming smaller than the full stop at the end of this sentence.
One of the things I love about Christmas is a childish anticipation that usually possesses me at the beginning of December, a gay* abandonment of spirit, excitement at the approach.
Second thing I love most is when one goes out on Christmas Day, with a smile on one's face...people walking past beam back at you and the happy greeting of "Merry Christmas!" is exchanged. For me, that symbolises a little the line, "peace on earth, goodwill to all men."
This year was one of the worst Christmases. We ran a high risk of not being able to get my brother home; my sister was living on our living room floor. Most of the days were spent trying to sort problems out and waiting hand and foot on Ayanna.
Out of our usual stock of mince pies, rum truffles and marzipan fruits, which are usually a Mom-and-kids occupation, Mom managed to complete the rum truffles on her own, and one day, when nearly everyone was out, I batched up some mince pies. Considering I'd never made them alone before and only had the recipe in memory, maybe I can be forgiven for making shortBREAD pastry mince pies, rather than shortCRUST! At least, everyone said they were way better than any they had tasted before. :)
Christmas Day approached and passed in hectic manner. We were able to fetch my brother home between snowstorms. Although our presents were considerably less than usual, I was quite glad for it meant that I have fewer to find places for - and they still represent the love and thought people have given to me. However, as I walked around the house that afternoon, I was acutely aware that something was missing. Somehow, this Christmas was like any other day, in spite of the fancy clothes, the presents, the big meal. Even the excitement of turning 18 and a half that day was lacking. It was like everything had come and gone too quickly. Somewhere, I'd missed the childish anticipation...and somehow, I felt cheated.
It took me until January 15th to realise what I had failed to see. It didn't matter how crowded and busy the house was. It didn't matter that I had only been able to get a few scattered pitiful presents for my family. It didn't matter that our lives were so hectic that we'd been barely been able to think and were rushed off our feet.
We were blessed. We were together. We were family. And...we had room in the inn. Being our daughter/sister and everything, we hadn't considered that, sleeping on our living room floor, was a homeless mother and child.
Like another mother and Child 2010 years ago, and in the name of that Child, we took them in. No, we didn't have the Christ Child incarnate visit us this Christmas.
But after all, perhaps we did.
"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" Matthew 25:40
I'm not meaning to sound stuck up or anything; it just struck me as awesome that God gave us a mother and child to care for over Christmas - the time we remember the mother and Child. I pray you had as blessed a Christmas as I did. :)
For a long time, I promised some of my Yanks to photo our Christmas decorations. Below is our neighbourhood in the snow, our decorations and a few of my Christmas presents. The ring I am using as my own kind of purity ring. The music is Evie Tornquist's "A Thousand Candles" and Relient K's "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".
May you have a truly blessed New Year!
*I am firmly defiant of the politically correct movement's attempt to hijack beautiful English words. This is used in its original, meaningful sense.
A time of peace and joy and family and loving and giving. A time to remember the cause of the celebration - the Lord Jesus, the God of all, becoming smaller than the full stop at the end of this sentence.
One of the things I love about Christmas is a childish anticipation that usually possesses me at the beginning of December, a gay* abandonment of spirit, excitement at the approach.
Second thing I love most is when one goes out on Christmas Day, with a smile on one's face...people walking past beam back at you and the happy greeting of "Merry Christmas!" is exchanged. For me, that symbolises a little the line, "peace on earth, goodwill to all men."
This year was one of the worst Christmases. We ran a high risk of not being able to get my brother home; my sister was living on our living room floor. Most of the days were spent trying to sort problems out and waiting hand and foot on Ayanna.
Out of our usual stock of mince pies, rum truffles and marzipan fruits, which are usually a Mom-and-kids occupation, Mom managed to complete the rum truffles on her own, and one day, when nearly everyone was out, I batched up some mince pies. Considering I'd never made them alone before and only had the recipe in memory, maybe I can be forgiven for making shortBREAD pastry mince pies, rather than shortCRUST! At least, everyone said they were way better than any they had tasted before. :)
Christmas Day approached and passed in hectic manner. We were able to fetch my brother home between snowstorms. Although our presents were considerably less than usual, I was quite glad for it meant that I have fewer to find places for - and they still represent the love and thought people have given to me. However, as I walked around the house that afternoon, I was acutely aware that something was missing. Somehow, this Christmas was like any other day, in spite of the fancy clothes, the presents, the big meal. Even the excitement of turning 18 and a half that day was lacking. It was like everything had come and gone too quickly. Somewhere, I'd missed the childish anticipation...and somehow, I felt cheated.
It took me until January 15th to realise what I had failed to see. It didn't matter how crowded and busy the house was. It didn't matter that I had only been able to get a few scattered pitiful presents for my family. It didn't matter that our lives were so hectic that we'd been barely been able to think and were rushed off our feet.
We were blessed. We were together. We were family. And...we had room in the inn. Being our daughter/sister and everything, we hadn't considered that, sleeping on our living room floor, was a homeless mother and child.
Like another mother and Child 2010 years ago, and in the name of that Child, we took them in. No, we didn't have the Christ Child incarnate visit us this Christmas.
But after all, perhaps we did.
"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" Matthew 25:40
I'm not meaning to sound stuck up or anything; it just struck me as awesome that God gave us a mother and child to care for over Christmas - the time we remember the mother and Child. I pray you had as blessed a Christmas as I did. :)
For a long time, I promised some of my Yanks to photo our Christmas decorations. Below is our neighbourhood in the snow, our decorations and a few of my Christmas presents. The ring I am using as my own kind of purity ring. The music is Evie Tornquist's "A Thousand Candles" and Relient K's "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".
May you have a truly blessed New Year!
*I am firmly defiant of the politically correct movement's attempt to hijack beautiful English words. This is used in its original, meaningful sense.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :)