Saturday, December 20, 2008

I Wish You A Merry Christmas

I remember the excitement I felt Christmas Eve when I was a child. I would go to sleep and dream of what Santa would leave at our house on his travels. Well, that is not entirely true. I didn't really believe in Santa but that did nothing to diminish my excitement. Would I get a new Barbie? Maybe a new troll doll. Does anybody remember those. My troll doll went to school with me and lived in my desk. Possibly a Barbie bus or better yet, Barbie Dream House! Maybe I would get some new Barbie cloths and accessories. I was a Barbie crazy girl! Oh, the excitement. Oh, the suspense. We did not get a lot of toys but every Christmas morning there would be something special. On Christmas Eve the tree seemed to sparkle more and the snow was whiter. My pajamas seemed softer and my bed cozier. Hot chocolate tasted better. Christmas Eve surrounded my family with laughter, smiles and songs. Some days I wish I could go back.

When I got married and had babes of my own Christmas Eve was still exciting but in a different way. How I loved watching my children vibrate with excitement. They looked cozy in their new pajamas as I would tuck them into bed. The tree sparkled more than it did the day before. The snow fell softer. The fire crackled. The candles glowed and my hot chocolate tasted mighty fine. I loved watching my girls with their Barbie Dolls Christmas morning. It was fun watching my brother try to play Barbie with them and the girls rolling their eyes at him because he did not have a clue. The boys would try to get in on it too. We would have to shoo them away back to their Legos. The laughter, the smiles and the fun was just as wonderful. Some days I wish I could go back.

Now my babes have babes of their own. Things have changed again as time rolls steady ahead. Now I watch as my children watch their children vibrate with excitement. I see their smiles and listen to them recount all those funny things that children do at Christmas. It makes me happy and gives me a feeling of peace. I am happy to be at home at this time of the year. Some things may be different this year but the joy of having my family around fixes anything else that is missing. There are still children in my life who carry the magic of Christmas in their hearts. For this reason only, I want time to stand still.

Sometimes I think about what future Christmas will be like. What will it be like when I can hardly get out of my rocking chair. Will the tree still sparkle more? Will the snow simply be a bother that chills me to the bones? Will there be any children around grinning their toothy grins with their eyes laughing, inviting me to play? Will there be any Barbies under the tree? I pray that God will give me the grace to get old. I pray that Christmas will always have magic and that I will remember that Christmas is about God coming to dwell in our midst bringing peace, beauty and life.

May your tree shine bright. May your home be filled with laughter and mugs of hot chocolate this year and in all your Christmases yet to be and... may you always find a Barbie under your tree.

13 comments:

Lucy said...

Oh, it sounds like you are going through some life changes, me too. Today, was my 'pity party' day. I'm o.k. now. But, my son won't be home until late on the 23rd and he is out of here on the 26th and my daughter is seventeen, no little ones. It is just different. I miss my son so much, I cried all day.
We finally went Christmas shopping tonight and I perked up!!! Oh, life changes, even though you know they are coming, well, doesn't always make them so easy.
Enjoy your grandchildren, I can't wait to have some, well, my daughter needs to wait. (lol)
Sorry for long comment.

Christine said...

Life always changes even when we want it to stay the same. I do struggle with this.

footsack said...

That was an AWESOME post!! I can totally relate. I may not be going through the same things but I so relate. I don't really know what makes grandchildren so special but I want my house filled with them. I am trying to enjoy the 'now' of life because time never does stand still. Have a blessed and Merry Christmas.

Jientje said...

Oooooh Christine, this is SO BEAUTIFUL!!! Hugs dear, and may each Christmas have just that little bit more sparkle than the previous one!

... said...

great post christine. there is a magic to Christmas that is so evident in a child's eye. i, too, want to experience that each year.

may the wonder of Christmas capture you and amaze you this year.

Momisodes said...

Oh you have me in tears now. I hope you and I both will be able to enjoy and share many, many more holidays with our loved ones full of love, laughter and hot chocolate.

These are such sweet memories you've shared and I felt like I was right there with you. We also had 1 special gift every year :) If only we could pause time for just a little while.

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas.

Margaret said...

Amazing post, Chris. I, on the other hand, am so longing for grandchildren, and so afraid that my boys won't give me that, so I go back in time. I adopt children that still vibrate with excitement and make the Christmas season become almost what it was when my boys were little. I love the idea of being a grandma and most of my siblings are already experiencing that.
Have a blessed Christmas and take lots of videos and pictures of your family.

Saucy said...

Peace and Joy and Barbies to you this holiday season and many, many more!

xoxo
Saucy

... said...

you haven't written another post, so i'll leave a message here...

wanted to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas. enjoy each moment together.

i'm glad we became blogging friends this year and i look forward to next year.

Unknown said...

Merry Christmas to you too! I loved my Barbies when I was a little girl. My mother gave them to my nieces.

Yes, I have a Becky AND a Becca. My oldest daughter is Rebecca Jean, and FabGrandpa's daughter is Rebecca Anne. He adopted my daughter, so they both have the same last name. What a hoot, huh?

little erin said...

that is such a beautiful post!!!!! merry christmas to you and yours christine! i wish you all good health and good memories :)

little erin said...

oh, and lucy and christine....

life does always change, and although it is tough at first, don't you want it to?

christine- i'm sure it was tough watching your children grow up and have times be different, much of like what it seems lucy is going through right now, but now you've got all these wonderful grandchildren to watch...for years to come! that is in your future lucy!!!

merry christmas to all of these kind commenters!!

The Invisible Mo said...

Hi Chris! This is an exceptionally nice post you've created. Our house was different because in our family, Santa came on Christmas Eve. We still had the excitement, but didn't have to go to bed and try to sleep through it. I have some special memories of some of our Christmases and have written about them before, but maybe I will again sometime this week. My internet has been in and out lately. I think I've fixed the problem, now, though.
So, even though it is late on Christmas day and technically it is already the 26th, I wanted to drop by and wish you a Merry Christmas. When I read your post, I think sometimes that there is a reason that you got to go home for Christmas. It's hard enough to deal with being away from the family, but during Christmas even harder. I'm happy for you that you got to be home with family. I still look forward to your next visit to Seattle, though. I hope you and John are doing well. Children are the best thing about Christmas, don't you think?