Tomorrow is the day, the big dance, the main event. As you go about all of your last minute preparations and attend to all of the final details I wanted to just take a moment and encourage you to find the beauty in it. Even if for a nano-second, close your eyes and revel in the noise of the season, of the chaos, of the family (even the extended visitors from afar.) As my wise-beyond-his-13-years son pointed out to me this morning we don’t know who will still be here next year. I may be a bit melodramatic this afternoon, we will blame it on the horrible flu (or food poisoning) that kept me up most of Sunday night but our family motto this Christmas has been “It’s just going to be a different Christmas.” Lots of traditions that are being switched up and changed. For me it’s a tough pill to swallow but has made me step back and realize that is just the stuff of the season. The where and when of the celebrations (even ones that until this year have been the same every year of my life) are less important than the people we spend them with, no matter where or when we have them. This season is about celebrating. Celebrating new life, celebrating our faith, and drawing in the ranks of family. So from my “different” Christmas to yours, I wish you a very merry Christmas. May you enjoy the celebration, wherever and whenever it may be.
The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! (Luke 2:11 NLT)