I Just Thought I Had the Christmas Spirit....Now I Really Do!

So, we had our little family Christmas Saturday morning. Amidst all the wrapping paper remnants and the remains of the many battles with toy packaging (another post altogether...grrrr), I looked around my quaint little living room and smiled. I was really beginning to get into the Christmas Spirit....something that I have been so lacking of for the past however many weeks.



We lazed around the house playing with all our new toys, then meandered our way towards Hot Springs, to finish up a little Christmas shopping. It was actually a really enjoyable trip. Nobody cried. Nobody got lost. Nobody showed out in the store. Kirk stayed happy. It was probably the most pleasant mall trip that our family of 5 has ever had....and it all happened the Saturday before Christmas. Miracle. Seriously. So, I came home blissfully even more in the Christmas Spirit than before. Things were really looking up.



I've stayed in the Christmas Spirit all day today. My little family has giggled and laughed. I even made some Christmas goodies for our church get-together tonight. I even had big plans of blogging tonight about all my amazing presents (like my electric pink laptop case....just think Legally Blond....) and posting pictures of my little family opening up their treasures. I had it all planned out...I had already come up with some witty captions for my oh-so-fabulous pictures.



I was seriously feeling Christmas..........



.....and then I went to church tonight......



.....it started out with a fellowship pot-luck meal (which are always amazing and put me in a good mood), but then we moved into a time of worship. All the lights were turned off except the Christmas Tree lights and the flickering lights of the Advent candles. We sang carols and worshipped through the reading of the Christmas story.



I sat in complete and total awe.



Awe of the beauty of the moment. Awe of the precious sound of my middle son's voice singing "Away In a Manger." Awe of the oneness of mind of this fellowship of believers that I love so much. Awe of the togetherness of families singing together. Awe of the way that hearing such a familiar story can still give me goosebumps and make me cry.



But most of all, awe of what Christmas is all about. Tonight, sitting in the dark of my beloved church, I got it. I've been running myself ragged for the past few weeks. Filling jewelry orders, shopping for lists and lists of gifts, worrying myself to death about being ready for Santa, and beating myself up for not having 20 minutes left in a day to make a batch of Christmas cookies with my kids.



It isn't about any of that. As important as family and traditions are to this Season.....they don't hold a candle to that tiny Baby born 2000 years ago. That tiny Baby born to humble people, because God knew that The King didn't have to be a king to be The King.



Tonight we sang my most favorite Christmas song ever. It is one of those songs that when I hear it, I want it to go on and on forever. I just love it so much. I'm going to go to sleep singing it, and it will be stuck in my head all day tomorrow....but, you know what, I don't care.


Want to see a beautiful video of my favorite singer singing my favorite song.....go here. Please, oh please....you'll be so glad you did!