From the Crazy Night Before to the Calm of Christmas Day

Funny, when I think about Christmas and how we spend it each year, the day/night before is always so jam-packed. It is wonderfully jam-packed with so many traditions of great delight and moments of sheer joy, but nonetheless, it is crazy!

On the flip side, Christmas day in our world is usually slow and peaceful. While we have the same sorts of traditions of great delight and moments of sheer joy, they are different...Santa came, and we spent the morning with just our immediate family...Queitly...Perfectly...We took our time and relished as the kids discovered their stockings.

And, we were able to just let them enjoy the things they received as well!They just played...ever so calmly...And, when we felt up to it, we headed out-of-town for our peaceful dinner with our extended family.It was nice to be where all of the stockings had been hung by the chimney with care...even uncle Kason's stocking!We exchanged a few gifts.Played a few of our favorite games.Some of us played things that others might perceive as crazy, but to us they were slow...I mean, we had to play slow when you are playing laser tag inside Gigi and K-Dan's house! (Please notice Uncle Justin hiding from G!)The little ones played babies...We made and decorated a birthday cake for Jesus...And ended the day - as we do each and every Christmas - with a celebration in HIS honor...remembering how we have come to have this great day of peace and perfection!And, as we fell asleep in our Gigi's arms, we remembered to say...

Happy, happy birthday Jesus, and Merry Christmas to all!