Christmas Eve has always been one of the most special days of the entire year. When we were little, we couldn't wait to get to the party with our family, no matter where it was. Christmas Eve is a day to be together with everyone you love, and that's what we've always done as a family. Many of us have said over the years that it just wouldn't be Christmas if we weren't all together...and I truly believe that.
For me, it's all about anticipation. I love being excited about things...and in a strange way, I almost love anticipating things more than I love the thing itself. I fear that doesn't make sense, but I hope you know what I mean. Christmas Eve is all the anticipation you could ask for rolled up into one special day. And now that I'm a mom, and can see the anticipation in the eyes of my son, it's even better. All day long we talked about it being Christmas Eve. We talked about Santa and how he would come to our house. We looked out of Pap and Freda's window to see if we could spot his sleigh or the reindeer. (By the way, I can distinctly remember doing the same thing with all of our cousins when we were little. And I can remember being convinced, just as Joshua was, that I had seen him. Magic!) The anticipation of Christmas is such a blessing. In preparing our hearts and our homes for the blessing of Christmas, we allow the joy of the season to fill our lives. Only our God could have created such an amazement, such a wonder for us to enjoy.
We spent the afternoon at Pap and Freda's house with the whole family again. And we ate....again. Uncle Butch said it best. "Our family gets together to eat. We eat. Then we talk. Then we eat. Then we get ready for church. Then we come back and eat. Then we carol. Then we come back and eat." That's pretty much how it goes.
We left the party just before supper time. The icy roads and thick fog were moving in and we needed to return home so that we were here for Christmas morning. Joshua fell asleep in the car (another Christmas miracle) and awoke when we hit Mifflinburg. We got home, unpacked from the trip and got things situated before the hurricane of Christmas morning hit. I hated to leave my family, and find it more emotional than I thought I would. I missed caroling with them so deeply this year and haven't been able to do that since Joshua has been born. I truly hope everyone knows how much I wish I had been there to share the end of the evening...but little boys need to be at home in their own beds for Santa to find them. And as sad as I was to leave, I was just as happy to walk through our own doors and settle back into home after being gone for almost a week.
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