Celebrating Christmas...In My Heart!

Christmas is here! In my heart, that is!! It's taken a while.

Last weekend we (our whole family) made the yearly trip to my parents to celebrate Christmas with them and all the cousins and their families. It really is a big group now. It was nice to be able to see everyone, but they couldn't seem to make it all at the same time. Did we get pictures? yes! Group pictures??? no! Just random shots here and there. I passed out my Christmas cards a friend had made for me of my poem. Made the trip back home, Sunday night after the Saints lost the game. Monday morning, I started addressing Christmas cards and got them off in the mail. (this is me getting in the Christmas spirit, less than a week away). I didn't order enough from my friend, so I was really trying to save them for friends who had lost a loved one this year or in recent years.

That night I drove around town looking at Christmas lights. Some were pretty awesome, and looked as though it wasn't that difficult to do. This inspired me to get out the lights and just "do it". Last year, I brought home tons of lights from my parents' attic, so Tuesday, about mid-day, I made a feeble attempt of putting lights up. Wish I could post pictures, but I ain't that smart!! Each day, I'd add a little something else. It looks a little quaint and homey, but I love it. Almost tackled putting up the ice-cycle lights, but decided against it.

It lifted my spirits to see my lights at night as I drove up to our home. Before, it looked as though the Grinch lived here. Not now!.... even my elderly neighbor's spirits have lifted by looking across the way at our lights.

Tuesday night we had practice for the Christmas Eve service. We had a children's choir participating this year and it really is delightful to hear children singing. This pushed me in the mood a little bit more. Shopping was not so bad, Thursday, but the traffic was horrible!! I've never seen it so bad in little ole Conroe.

(the 24th) This morning, I noticed something about one of the gifts I bought. Really wanted to go back to the store and exchange it. Did I dare????? I had been so proud and bushed to be finished with all I had to do, so as not to get out in the hustle and bustle on Christmas Eve. Well, I did it anyway. It was amazing!! This morning the traffic was like a Sunday mornings and the stores were almost begging people in. I was back home in less than 30 minutes. Of course, I live right in town, just a short drive to anywhere! Had I known it was going to be like this, I might would have waited til today to do it all!! Nah!! Ha!

This afternoon, I went to Christmas Eve service at Fellowship of The Woodlands, with Mary Ann and Mark. Beka was home with a virus, so Lisa stayed home. We met Jennifer and Waylon there. The candlelight part is always the most moving time of the service. I couldn't even sing, so I didn't try. Just held my candle and let the tears roll where they may.

Afterwards, we went and ate some Italian grub. Good stuff! Came home just in time to have some delicious coffee from our new Keurig coffeemaker. Then change clothes and go the the Christmas Eve service at my church. It was amusing at parts of it, won't go into details, but I will tell this one thing. While the children were leading us in carols, a little girl about 2 yrs. old, came up the aisle,up the steps and back to one of the band members. Apparently, she knew her, but when told to go sit down, she did. Cute, brave little thing. Considering there were children in our midst, Ben used different props as examples of gifts to the Lord. Object lessons, would be the term, I believe.Candlelight part was much to be desired. Instead of candles, where we could light each other's candle, we had votive candles, which had to be lit by lighters, with 4 lighters trying to accommodate about 200 people. Isn't the idea, and the point of the message to share your light with one another thus spreading and shutting out the darkness??? Well, anyway, we got them all lit after 4 verses of Silent Night.

When the service was over, we discovered a gusher of a rainstorm was welcoming us to our cars. I "borrowed" a Walmart bag from the kitchen to pull over my head and rushed out. I arrived at Hearthstone Assisted Living just as the last song was being sung, but just in time to hear Jeff deliver a fantastic message followed by a sweet lighting of our candles and singing Silent Night. Then came singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and serving birthday cake. Like Jesus fed the 5000, so we stretched the servings of a normal size cake and served about 30 residents.

So back home to a Christmas movie with Mary Ann, but not before I visited my friend across the street, Ms. Ruth. We exchanged gifts and revisited old hymns in a book I gave her about the origins of the songs. As a young bride, she was exposed to southern gospel music in Tennessee, where her husband was the dean of a college. She'd never heard of "I'll Fly Away". Now that's just wild to me!! Meanwhile, back to the house with Mary Ann. We finished the movie and she went to play games with some friends. I stayed home, although, I was invited, I wanted to stay and wait for Wayne to come home. After all, it was Christmas Eve. He worked til midnight, because the power went out in the oilfield. 18 hours straight.

So, for Christmas day.... a very lazy morning for Mary Ann and me; for Wayne....another long day shift, which is the reason our celebration was moved to the evening. Everyone arrived safely between 6 and 7. There was still a little preparation for the dinner. We had the movie-"Elf" playing in the background while the kids played. We had our fill at the dinner table, and now was the time for gifts to be opened. The kids had waited so patiently. I finally laid my head on my pillow after midnight. It's good to have all the family together, except for Jeremy and Cassie. We'll celebrate Christmas with them in January.

This morning, (the day after Christmas, I was up for worship team. During the Sunday School time, we had a breakfast for everyone, so I visited with Roy. I'm still missing Kathy, but somehow.....Godhow......my sadness has decreased a bit. Don't know if it's because of the holiday spirit going around or if this is the beginning of being ok with my bestest friend EVER, being gone from this life.

Again, I'll remind anyone reading this....this blog is more for me.....documenting my venting........

healing.......celebrating or whatever the case may be, so I won't hold it against you if you skip thru most of it or skip it entirely. This post was a bit of all 3. Did you even notice I only mentioned Kathy once?? Labeling as I see it. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!! I sure enjoyed celebrating your birthday this year."