Celebrate!

We conclude a week such as this feeling tired, yet oh-so-full. Each day has brought with it memorable moments which will only grow more precious over the years.

On Christmas Eve morning, my husband took our guys to visit the residents at several nursing homes. They delivered candy canes and homemade cards made by the AWANA clubbers at church. This tradition began several years ago. Our boys get to engage in conversation with several older friends. They hear stories from long ago. In some cases, the residents are unresponsive...they're physically and mentally unable to respond. Other "friends" whom our boys had come to know have died since my guys first started visiting the nursing homes. But in the midst of these visits and relationships, our boys are growing in tenderness and compassion. They're learning that these dear ones have great worth and significance. They're learning how to give to those who can't give back.

While my guys visited the nursing homes for the day, I enjoyed a full day to myself. Setting the tone with my favorite Christmas music, I set about preparing my heart and my home for the festivities of that evening. I finished up any last minute wrapping, prepped for my evening dinner, and tidied up the house. Most importantly, I pondered the gift of Jesus and spent time talking to Him.

The five of us enjoyed our traditional Christmas Eve dinner that night, followed by our Candlelight Christmas Eve service at church. This service is deeply meaningful and moving. It brings such joy to my heart to gather with our church family...both far away and nearby friends...on this night. The service always ends with the lighting of each of our individual candles and the singing of "Silent Night." Simply beautiful...

Upon returning home, our family gathered for the latest installment of "Jotham's Journey," followed by our gift opening. I'm so thankful for the quiet, meaningful moments of this night.

On Christmas morning, we drove to my parents house where we joined them for breakfast. We had a lovely time around the table and enjoyed a delicious fruit platter, homemade cinnamon rolls, and gingerbread scones. Following the conclusion of breakfast, we gathered 'round their tree and each one of us took a turn reading one of the prophecies regarding the birth of Jesus Christ. What a sweet time. And, as he does each year, my dad then led us in the reading of Luke 2.

Following our gift opening at my parents' house, we drove to my aunt and uncle's new home for our Christmas celebration with my extended family. This is always a fun and festive event as our family continues to grow in number and in age. One of the traditions we've established in recent years is the playing of "Christmas Jeopardy." My aunt always makes a large Jeopardy board listing categories and the values of each question. Dividing into two teams, we get rather competitive, trying to be the first to ding the bell. Even my 81-year-old grandma gets in on the action. The photo below shows the comeback victory of the opposing team.



The day after Christmas brought with it a 30 years+ tradition. The women in my family met for our annual shopping day. My grandma was the ring leader of this whole brood for years and years. Now perhaps the wisest among us, she opts to stay home and live vicariously through our stories.

We were waiting in line outside of Target by 6:50am. While bargain-hunting is nice, we've all come to the conclusion that this annual event is less about shopping and more about bonding and relationship. One of my aunts even keeps a memory journal of each year's shopping trip. In case you haven't noticed, I come from a family steeped in tradition. We go to the same stores each year. We take the same "rest breaks" each year. As we've gotten...well, "older"...our rest breaks have become more frequent and regularly-scheduled. Our first break is for coffee around 9:30am. Then we go to lunch around 11:30 am. Then we re-group and re-charge at Cinnabon around 3pm. And we're finally eating dinner around 5pm. This year, I pulled into our garage around 8pm...feeling exhausted, yet so glad to have spent this day with the women I come from.


Yesterday, we were glad to embrace a quieter kind of family day. We eagerly went to the movie theater to see the much-anticipated "National Treasure: Book of Secrets." We downed more popcorn than you would think humanly possible, and we had a super time! The movie was especially fun since being in Washington D.C. 2 months ago. We kept exchanging glances and declaring, "We were there!"

You would think that after a week like this, the festivities have concluded...but not yet! Tomorrow we get to celebrate Christmas all over again with my husband's large family. Several years ago, we outgrew any house that will hold all of us, so we typically rent a facility for our gathering. This year we're holding it at my in-law's church. We look forward to be with loved ones, enjoying the nearness of their company, and celebrating the gift of Jesus.