Traditionally, my family lives by an iron-clad principle: NO Christmas until after Thanksgiving. We shake our heads in disgust at Christmas trees in the stores, wrapping paper out early, commercialized Baby Jesus and the angels. People who put their trees up before Halloween for crying out loud.
But the most important rule? NO Christmas movies between December 26 and until after the turkey has been eaten on Thanksgiving of the following year. It's just our thing. Each holiday gets its special time to just be...
But this year, I'm the one my kids are looking at, shaking their judgy heads and scowling.
Because here's the thing...
I have been working on a Christmas story the last few days. Which means watching a ton of Christmas movies to get me in the mood. So who cares what my kids think?
In the Bateman home it doesn't feel like Christmas until Thanksgiving night. We put up the tree, watch Elf or Jingle all the Way, and drink hot chocolate, plus bake cookies, but with all the leftover pie, we barely eat them.
Something about Christmas in September has pulled me into the Christmas spirit and I feel hope rising.
What is it about the Christmas season that does this? I mean really. We spend a ton of money, stress about family visits and worry that the kids are going to be disappointed at the things they "didn't" get. And yet, that feeling of hope prevails throughout the whole season. I love that.
I love snow and lights and too much food. I love baby faces sticky with their first taste of candy cane, peanut butter fudge, wrapping paper, Christmas carols, the three wise men and plastic dolls in wooden mangers. Christmas cards all filled out and never mailed (sheepish grin).
My heart is full of Christmas today. Hope, love, peace on earth, angels, and possibility.
I want pie and hot chocolate and ten inches of fluffy, white snow, just wet enough to make a great snowball and a lopsided snowman.
I want to think about Joseph and a big-bellied Mary, baby Jesus, the gift. The one. The savior.
Merry Christmas everyone.
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2 comments:
Oh Thank you Lord. She is my child after all. :)
I love Christmas year round, Tracey!! I wish we would get a snow every Christmas eve. I want the hot chocolate and Christmas stories. I start looking for Christmas books in August. Yeah, I'm really a sucker for those.
Girl! You are not alone.
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