Merry Christmas!!!

Last night was Christmas Eve, and we had done it all (or at least time was up to get everything done)… We had finished and fulfilled the wish lists, grocery lists, & to-do lists. We had wrapped up ALMOST everything. We had (despite my being sure it could never quite all come together!) come together and celebrated with our favorite family traditions for this special, sacred night!  A light meal of French dip sandwiches in the crockpot, Christmas caroling, the live nativity in our family room (including fluffy sheep, even the dog dressed as a cow one year), a traditional opportunity to give service, pjs from Grandma, & of course, family prayer. We’ve been lucky enough to spot Rudolf’s shiny nose from our windows the past few years and indeed, we all thought we saw him last night so the children scurried right off to bed.

Off schedule and a bit wired, the Little Sisters were last to lay down. Finally ready for sleep, I took them into their little haven, cuddled them into their twin-z pillow with blankets and fed them bottles as they sailed away to slumberland. I sailed away with them for a few minutes, waking to the last song playing on their little Christmas cd. My favorite. An old tradition of mine: I would sneak downstairs when all were tucked in bed and quiet, including the house for the night, turn on this exact song and sit ‘still’ on the couch watching the Christmas tree lights twinkle just to soak up the wonder of the season! It never failed to fill my heart with joy & love!

I had been too busy for that this season, but here it was, like a perfect gift from Heaven, reminding me. ‘Still, still, still… ’tis the Eve of our Savior’s birth’… dream, dream, dream of the joyous day to come’!

The words struck me more poignantly than they ever had before. Perhaps it was because my babies were ‘sleeping’, and it was indeed, the Eve of the day we celebrate Christ’s birth, and because, yes, there was a very joyous day to come first thing in the morning!  As I stood very ‘still’ for a moment to really ‘listen’ and ‘see’, the wonder and awe of Christmas once again filled my soul!

And So I say to you tonight, with all my heart, “Merry, Merry Christmas, everyone!!!!!!

Much Love from The Hoffmans