I mean, don’t get me wrong. I appreciate Christmas and find joy in the season’s events. And for Pete’s sake, it’s JESUS' BIRTHDAY. That alone should have me bouncing off the walls with excitement, right?
But it usually doesn’t. Christmas decorating? Ugh. So much work. That I have to undo three weeks later. It looks pretty when it’s up, but the actual putting it up has always annoyed me. And Christmas shopping? Exhausting and expensive. Visiting family? LOVE seeing them, but the traveling wears me out. Christmas cards? Also expensive, and hours of work by the time you take a picture, choose a picture, make a card, order a card, address the cards, mail the cards... It seems that nearly everything about the season is focused on doing, going, spending, and just downright exhausting myself.
But this year? There was a little man who changed my heart.
Krewson Lee. All of a sudden, at 3 ½, this kid’s heart for Christmas exploded. And it had a ripple effect into mine.
He LOVED decorating for Christmas. Could barely contain his excitement. All of a sudden, putting up the tree and going through the ornaments one by one wasn’t tedious; it was a cherished bonding experience for the two of us. He wanted to inspect each ornament, know what it was, and determine whether it was “fragile and delicate” and hence needed to go higher on the tree away from his little brother’s grasp. He went through the entire box of ornaments with me. I was blown away.
He couldn’t wait for the Christmas lights to go up outside, and was even more excited when he realized we had lights for INSIDE TOO!! Not to mention the garland, mini Christmas trees, and other little Christmas trinkets I had stowed away.
I decided I would try to do a type of Advent countdown with him this year, but figured he would probably find it a bit repetitive and boring. NOPE. The kid LOVED it. We didn’t get around to doing it every day, but on the days we did, we’d do a mini craft and have a mini lesson about something from the Christmas story. We also frequently read the story of Jesus’ birth, and over time he began to learn all the details.
The kid loved Christmas. And I loved the special time I got to spend with him, doing things that he loved, teaching him about Jesus’ story.
Not to mention, it helped ME to refocus. If I want to teach my son about Jesus, I need to know what I’m teaching. Every day, I was forced to really consider the reason for the season. If I want my son to live it, I need to live it, too.
Thank you, dear son, for opening my eyes and heart to once again feel the magic of Christmas.
And thank you, God, for that dear son. :)
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