It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

I have such fond childhood memories of Christmas…the Christmas story we used to read on Christmas Eve, the wonderful Christmas songs, time with each other, and (let’s face it) the presents.  I remember not being able to sleep the night before Christmas because I was so excited for Christmas morning!  As I became an adult, I still loved Christmas, but it was somehow not as exciting as it used to be.  I don’t know why.  Maybe it is because I needed a fresh perspective, maybe it is because it wasn’t how it used to be, or maybe that is just part of growing up.  But I am happy to say that ever since I have had my own child, Christmas has become a new and exciting holiday for me again.  Judah is not old enough to really understand anything about Christmas yet, but I find myself getting so excited about starting our own family traditions.  I look forward to singing Christmas carols with my child(ren), baking cookies with them (and I am not a baker), sharing the Good News about what Christmas is really means and why we celebrate, watching the excitement and joy on their faces as they open the gifts that God has been so gracious to bless us with, and just being together as a family.   

So this year, we put up our Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving, as we typically do.  This usually amounts to Eric bringing everything in from the garage and putting up the tree, and then I actually decorate the tree and put everything else around the house.  This works for us as Eric has no desire to do any type of “decorating”, and I actually prefer to do it on my own.  Hopefully, as Judah gets older, he will be able to help decorate the tree with me.  He was not interested in the least this year, and just kept saying “ball” every time he saw a round ornament.  It is just as well as I know that he would most likely do more damage than actually help.  

Judah checking out the almost put-together tree

Yeah for Christmas!

Even little sister has a present under the tree!

So, the tree is up and presents are already under it.  I love to sit on the couch at night and enjoy the feel of our living room lit up with Christmas lights.  But most of all, I love that Christmas reminds us that God gave us His most precious gift, His Son.  And that means that Christmas is more than gifts, cookies, songs, and even family time.  Christmas is a celebration of God’s incredible act of love, and it is because of that love that we have the hope of heaven.