Right on Time

I read that the malls were packed with Christmas Eve shoppers, but it turns out we were all alone at the Christmas Tree farm.  I suppose it would be even nicer to get the tree on the afternoon of the 24th, so as not to cut our Advent short, but I fully understand their desire to close at noon on that day.

There was plenty of time to do all the decorations and Christmas baking.  At 7:00 am on Christmas morning, there will be an explosion of sound: Bach's Christmas Oratorio and the pounding of feet as children race to their stockings.  Breakfast this year will be pumpkin bread, sausage, Clementines and orange juice.  After the 9:00 am Mass we will put Baby Jesus in the manger.  And then presents.

It seems like a lot of presents, but we have a lot of people.  I have grown much less concerned about the materialism of Christmas as we have settled into our waiting-for-Christmas-to-celebrate-Christmas routine.  Believe me, the kids notice that everyone else is celebrating Christmas from the end of November while they have to wait.  And they can also tell you that it makes no sense to celebrate before the 25th.  So even if they each have 3 or 4 presents to open, they know that Christmas is about Jesus Christ.  So if everyone in the family wants to give to Christopher, or Daddy wants to give Mommy five presents, that's okay!

A very Blessed Christmas to all!