Christmas Eve

I think my camera has a mind of its own and like a rebellious child, it is trying to make me look bad.  In exerting its independence on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, it decided to go for the blurry look on all my Christmas pictures.  For some unknown reason my pictures are blurry as often as they are not.  *Sigh*  If only guilt trips worked on technology as well as they do on real children. In reality, I am pretty sure it is all my fault- aka "user error."  But in my technological stupidity, I have yet to figure out a descent fix.  So rather than pout about it, I say we all consider it a "planned artistic approach."  Yep, we'll go with the whole "I meant to do that" idea.  I'm hoping to be ahead of the curve on the blurry picture movement.

So, here is our Christmas Eve.

Eve, Grandma Wendy, Grandma Louise, and Jack.

Each year we trade off between Christmas and Christmas Eve with each of our families to make everything fair.  We also do it to try to not get as overwhelmed trying to go and do and be everything in one day. So, we divide the craziness between two days.  Hmmm.  Maybe that was not as wise as we had originally envisioned.  But we do our best and I think that's all we can do when it comes to the holidays.  We also like to find a little time on each of the days to celebrate with some traditions in our own little family.

This year it was our chance to celebrate Christmas Eve with my side of the family. That being said, it ended up just being us, my mom and my Grandma Louise. My dad went back to California to spend Christmas with his dad (Grandpa Cotton) since he wasn't well enough to travel out here. I wish he could have been here too but sometimes you just have to make a hard choice and go with it.

My mom has a tradition of singing Christmas carols at their church on Christmas Eve so we went with her to that and then went back to our house and has dinner and opened presents.

This year we decided to do gifts by theme.  We felt that would make things easier and we wouldn't overspend.  I'm not sure if it really turned out that way but I still think the concept is a good one.  We did 4 categories in which we each got a gift in each of the categories.:

1.  Something you want.

2.  Something to read.

3.  Something to wear.

4.  Something to keep you entertained.

(I had seen the idea of "want, need, wear,and read" but the "need" category just wasn't working for us so we changed it.).  We all drew each other's names out of each category and then picked gifts accordingly.  It worked out perfect since we were each responsible for a gift to each family member.  I suppose we can just add more categories the more kids we have.

Kole drew my name for my "want" and I asked him to build me a little manger for my Christmas decor. And he did. Isn't it cute?

In future years we are going to bring out the manger all empty at the beginning of the Christmas season and then slowly fill it with hay or yarn or those little crinkley packing strips.  Each day as we do something good or kind or Christlike we will put in a little piece of filling.  By the time Christmas comes around, the manger will be full and comfy for out little baby Jesus doll to make his appearance in the manger on Christmas morning.

Gifts...

Jack is still learning to smile...

We were going for the "real" look... crying baby, covered faces, not looking at the camera.  Christmas pictures are just so perfect and magical.

Thoughts about Christmas Eve

I’m so happy it is finally Christmas Eve.  On Christmas Eve, all the presents still sitting under the tree are like a nuclear core of anticipation and excitement.  Joy seems to radiate.  The tree stays lit all day just because it is pretty and I don’t care how much extra electricity we are using.  The house is decked out in its holiday best and we have plans to make happy things happen.  I love Christmas Eve probably even more than the big day that follows.  It’s the one last hurrah before Christmas morning leaves a FEMA-worthy wake of ripped paper and empty boxes and everyone seems to crash all over the house like marathon runners.  Not to mention that for 12 more hours, the threat of being put on “the naughty list” still works.  I love Christmas Eve because somehow all the greatest qualities of the season are packaged into one day- the love, the joy, the peace, the kindness, the goodness, the selflessness, the giving, the magic, the anticipation, the traditions, family, friends and everything else.  And yet it is always bitter-sweet.  I know it signals the beginning of the end (and that always makes me feel a little blue) but it also holds so much potential.  As any parent knows, Christmas is so much better when you have kids and can see it through their eyes.  I am fully aware of the tick of the clock and all that means and I know Christmas may not be as magical next year.  My children’s eyes may not be filled with as much wonder and awe.  Children grow and change and that means the way we see Christmas changes too.  And though that is not always or even necessarily bad, it still means the life is always moving and evolving.  So as much as I love to celebrate Christmas Day and all that it means… it always reminds me that I have to wait 364 more days for it to come again and so much can change in that time.  The making and baking of cookies this year means all my children still believe in Santa- and I ache just a little because I can’t guarantee that will be the case 364 days from now.  And so I love Christmas Eve because more than gift wrap is still intact--- hopes, dreams, moments, childhood.  People are coming and not going.  Homes are filled with families who are actually paying attention to each other instead of people consumed in their own little worlds filled with all their new things.  So, while it is still Christmas Eve, I will look at my kids’ faces a little longer and I will make a greater effort to remember what they were like this Christmas Eve and what their eyes silently say.  And on top of that, I will look up more and kneel down more because though there are some things that will be ever changing, there is One that never changes and it is truly because of Him that we have a reason to celebrate this season (and always).