As I look back on my Christmas year, I'm glad I had a little bit of Christmas all year long. I accomplished some things I really wanted to do. One was to see if I could keep up a blog for a whole year. I kinda succeeded (with a few large gaps). I was surprised how God kept reminding me of Christmas things. Another was the goal of having all my shopping done so I wouldn't have holiday anxiety. I got the shopping done but, another surprise: when Thanksgiving was over I started to panic as usual. Why? I don't know. I didn't have deadlines. The Fresno gifts were all delivered and all I had was immediate family gifts left.
A disappointment was not having the usual Christmas lights and decorations because of our new kitten. Then Bill got bronchitis and we didn't even get the outside tree lights up, so there was nothing from our house that looked like Christmas at all except the wreath on the door and the little banner that said, "Christ is born."
Maybe that's all you need anyway. I did play lots of Christmas music and we attended two Christmas cantatas so that helped.
One highlight for me each Christmas season is our family caroling party. We went this year to two convalescent hospitals. We got to carol a dear friend who lived only one week more after we were there. We got names from our church of lonely people and caroled them. We even barged in on a caroling group and sang with them. I think they didn't mind and the people enjoyed it.
We had a lovely Christmas breakfast and opened our gifts together. I wanted to keep the kitten locked up because she eats ribbon, rubber bands, paper, etc. but I was outvoted and she joined the festivities. That afternoon we went to our daughter's house and had Christmas dinner with her inlaws. Later I phoned our other daughter who we hadn't heard from and found out she was alone. Her husband and daughter had gone to his mom's but she didn't feel well so didn't go. I felt bad that she was alone on Christmas.
Saturday we went to Fresno and had another Christmas dinner. So now we're finished and clean up is mostly done. We usually don't take down our tree until New Years but since the cat was pulling the rest of the balls down anyway, I packaged them as soon as she got them down and then Bill packaged the tree. So now there are only a few beautiful treasures around (that she leaves alone) and I'll get them down tomorrow or the next day or the next. This really has been a more relaxing Christmas because the shopping was all done. Oh yes, and most of the cards have been sent out.
So now it's Happy New Year, 2009 in one more hour and a half.
May you remember that Jesus was born for you. May you learn from Him and delight in Him all through 2009.
Merry Christmas,
Paulita
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