Christmas Eve

"Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more!"
(Excerpt from How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess)

"With the secularization of religious holidays, families want to be intentional about emphasizing the real meaning of these celebrations. (Christmas) is more than a sweet look at a baby born in a manger. Christmas is the ultimate love story. It is the story of God invading human history in the person of Jesus. What a mind-expanding concept!" Gladys Hunt

When I was in college and my brother and sister's children were babies, my family became very intentional about how we celebrate Christmas. The Christmas story out of Luke had always been read, but we began to shift from an emphasis on presents and Santa to a celebration of the birth of Jesus. We still exchange presents, but it is done with a heart of gratitude that Jesus is the best gift we've ever been given and a desire to generously share that love with others. As a college student, I was more of an observer to these changes, but I have always loved it and felt like it added so much more meaning and depth to our Christmas. During the years when we did not have money to buy many gifts, I didn't miss them. Celebrating Christmas in this way with my family has always felt like a privilege and are some of my most cherished memories. I hope that my children grow up feeling the same way.

Playing Scattergories. What a fun, competitive group!

The big kids' team brainstorming.

The Guys are ready to eat! This is my brother, Richard, and the two brave men who married in to the family. We had an absolute FEAST for Christmas Dinner: Crown Roast with stuffing; Smoked Ham; Spinach Salad with mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, & sunflower seeds; Dad's Famous Mashed Potatoes; Corn Souffle; Parmesan Roasted Asparagus; Rolls; Ambrosia; and Christmas Cranberry Tea. Then we had Pecan Dream Bars and Banana Pudding for dessert. Just the memory of it makes me salivate! Yummmy! Hats off to my Mom for pulling it all together. I truly think it was one of our best. Momma Connie would be proud!
The grandkids dressing up and doing the nativity play to Luke 2. This was Justus' first Christmas and he was baby Jesus. This has been a tradion in our family for over 10 years.
Singing "Happy Birthday Jesus." Traditionally, Aunt Jennifer always makes the birthday cake. Now it's time to open presents...
This year, we drew names for the first time. So, we each gave a gift to one person. I bet everyone wished they had drawn Audra's name. She got this excited about every present that was opened...as soon as the paper was torn and she saw the box! It was hysterical! Mimi gave Audra a Cabbage Patch Doll! She loooves it.
"Hmmm. Maybe, I'll just touch this one shiny ball while no one is looking. Except Gramps. And he thinks I'm too cute to tell on me."
Does Audra's facial expression look familiar? Every present. Every time. This time she's helping Justus open his present from Ben. It may have been the most popular present there. Every child under 5 wanted to ride it and show Justus how to play with it. How generous!
He is FASCINATED!
Dave gave Scott this hand-carved marble chess set. Scott loves to play chess, but he's definitely never played on a set this nice! Dave and Rhea Lana returned from a 10-day mission trip to India 24 hours before our gathering and brought this to Scott all the way across the Atlantic. This was Dave's 10th trip to encourage the team in India, but the first time Rhea Lana has gone. We all loved hearing their stories and seeing their pictures.
Jennifer gave Mother this beautiful container with intricately patterned pieces of broken tiles. Later, she gave Mom the second part of the gift. She spent HOURS hand-painting a matching piece of artwork for Mom to hang over her mantle in the sunroom. Wow! What a gift of love! Other highlights include the cross charm bracelet that I received from Richard (I love it!) and the wall crosses that Scott gave Dave and I gave Richard. They are hand-made (not by me)from recycled pieces of wood, copper, nails, and barbed-wire thorn crowns. So cool!
"Hum Diddle Ay, Hum Diddle Oh, Hum Diddle...Ay...Dee...Do...zzzzzzzzzz." Gramps sang himself to sleep.
Traditionally, someone in our family brings a gift that doesn't have monetary value (much like the drummer boy had no gift to bring to baby Jesus, the King, but played his drum for Him). Usually, in the past it has been one of the grandchildren. One year Bekah & Leah played a flute & clarinet duet. Another year Erin played the piano. One year, when Dave & Rhea Lana's kids were really little they quoted an entire passage of the Bible. This is the first time I have ever done anything. It is the nativity story told using candles.

This was actually one of my favorite moments of the whole day. After Richard and Rhea Lana's families left to travel to their inlaws and my younger ones were tucked in bed, Titus and I cuddled up to read Christmas books. It is rare that I get to read to just one of my children at a time. We took our time and talked through the wonderful stories. I love to read good children's literature and I love the magic intimacy of this moment.

Merry Christmas!