It's Perfect

Today is Christams Eve... it is my absolute favorite day of the year..Easter and Forth of July are close.. But nothing competes to Christmas Eve...

This year I have to spend Christmas Eve at the hotel working until eight pm, in a bathing suit shop where no one will purchase anything past five pm...but whatever, I look at it this way. It is my last Christmas working until my son wants nothing to do with his family....so for now. I will work....

But growing up, I don't know how my mom did it. She worked full time and hosted a huge open house for the eve. I mean people and relatives from all over came to celebrate the night before Christmas. When little, so friends and I would dress up like the nativity people and put on a small play. We were all excited children for the next day. We anticipated what Jolly Ole Saint Nick would be bringing to us that night and we were not so eager to go to bed for fear we would miss out on the party but wanted to sleep right away for fear Santa would not stop by and pay a visit....it was exciting. As time went on and we grew Christmas Eve changed and it was just as wonderful. The gathering became small and intimate. Sometimes we traveled and other times it was just the immediate family. And it was just a perfect. Mid-night mass at St. Johns in Hingham for me became a beautiful tradition and I LOVED the choir as well as listening to Father Robert tell the magnificent story of the birth of Christ. He captivated everyone at eleven thirty at night and you walked out of church with the true essence of what it must have felt like to be a part of that special night when Christ was born.

Now that I am living in Florida and I'm married and expecting a child soon, my mind often thinks about how I would like to begin or carry on traditions of my childhood to my son. Last night we celebrated Christmas with my family. There was seven of us and it was perfect. We had killer food and lots of fun. We did not have many gifts this year because we all did not want any and the gifts are not the real meaning of it all...for us it's Jesus and being together as a family and loving one another. This is what we do cherish the most is family and togetherness. I expressed to Dan many months ago that someday when we live in a bigger home, how I would love to have Christmas Eve as our celebration holiday and have an open house, just like I did as a child. So fun. It would mean so much to us if we did that...Then leaving our family Christmas celebration last night Dan said to me, what a perfect evening it was....I started thinking... maybe we don't need all the hub bub of a big party. It's just the family being together.....It's perfect.

The birth of Christ is celebrated each year with so much to do and if you don't get this gift or that gift or whatever then feelings get hurt and much more. But I cannot get past how I wonder if Mary really knew the magnitude of the birth that she was to deliver us. There was no really hoopla of Jesus when he was born in that stable. Mary may have been just as happy with the gift of her son like any of us..But Gods plan for him was being paved. She was special to God and chosen by Him to birth Jesus and raise him....We cant say what it was really like because we were not there and the story in the Bible tells of a great account. How special that she was chosen to be the mom of our Lord. I love the true simplicity of this holiday.. The real story not all the nonsense that goes with it...I love that a king was born in a manger in a stable in a small town to parents who were probably pretty nervous...as we all are...

the eve of Christmas has so much anticipation and so much meaning to me, I just love it. I cannot wait for the years to come to share so much and learn so much and love so much and continue to give simply on this day. Celebrate Christmas with ease and comfort....with hope for a new year and prayers of health and good will to men. To let the Spirit of Christ touch your life and allow Him and His work to flow through you with so much love. To latch on to those in need and see God work in you life as well as others.

Mary gave birth to Jesus, and it's perfect....just perfect.