Ah, restful!
No crying babies, no tons of packing, no long drives to get to gramma's house, no clutter, no shreds of wrapping paper coating every inch of space, no kids running around and yelling about the great toys they got that you spent hours buying and wrapping and they spent seconds unwrapping, no hours and hours of cooking and baking and decorating, no Christmas programs to stress over, no parties to have to get some gift for, not even a round of Christmas caroling in the freezing cold.
This year I did Christmas lite. At first because of recovering from months of chemo and radiation and procedures, and then because Dad was ill, I simply decided not to do the "usual" Christmas activities. I have to admit, most of it I didn't really miss. The parts I would have liked were the least do-able, like spending time with friends just chatting and being with my kids and grandkids.
I wonder what parts Jesus appreciates the most on his birthday? Surely the joyous goodwill and generosity are appreciated. And the setting aside of hostilities for a bit, the resolve to "get along" if only for a day. Also the reconnection of family and friends.
The boys actually arose before noon and we gathered around our festively lighted tree to unwrap the few little presents there. Some years our tree bore so many presents there wasn't floor space enough to contain them. This year each person had three small gifts to unwrap, and that was plenty.
Each boy spent time with the gift I gave them, Kiel using his new hair clippers and Drew reading through the directions for his architecture 3-D house kit. We leisurely enjoyed our simple ham dinner, with just mashed potatoes and one veggie (oh yes, and black olives - can't forget those!) and watched a Charlie Brown Christmas video. Then Kiel went to visit his girlfriend while Drew and I played Skip-Bo.
Quiet. Simple. Appropriate. Nice. Hope your Christmas was as enjoyable as mine.
1 comment:
I couldn't help but be amused when you used the term "Christmas lite". From your recent posts, I would call it "Christmas at its richest". Praying for line jumpers, returning rudeness with kindness, enjoying time with Drew and kiel, letting them know how much they are loved and appreciated, saying good-bye to your dad, walking through your days in the presence of God, enduring all manner of medical procedures with humor and grace, and welcoming each new day with gratitude and hope -- I'd say you've hung on to the important stuff and let everything else go. I know you have had to pass on many things you'd love to be doing, but I wouldn't call it "Christmas lite"! I pray that the joy and hope of Christmas would remain with you next week, even as you grieve, and sustain you and your family as you celebrate your father's life and learn to go on in his absence.
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