Christmas Unwrapped..

The top of the piano looks lonely now. Bare. It always does right after Christmas. Right after the presents are opened and stored, or being played with. Soon the decorations will be fully put away and clutter will take it's rightful place on top of the piano. Things we didn't want to leave down. Things the kids were fighting over.

We celebrated Christmas with just our family. We started on Christmas Eve with the great unwrapping.


As they unwrapped their gifts, there was much squealing and joyfulness because of what the kids might have discovered underneath the paper. I was hugged so many times my heart was full, just from sharing the moments with them.

My love language is gifts. So Christmas, birthdays, any gift giving occasion is always sweet to me.

Sometimes, as a parent, though, I question my choices. We chose not to include Santa Claus in our Christmas years ago. Waaay Back when Mini-Me was a baby. The Professor and I discussed the issue and the only resounding issue was Gratefulness.Even back then, I can tell you I was not the same person I am today. But gratefulness was the main issue.

"How can the kids be grateful to a man who sneaks in the house and leaves?"

So Santa doesn't come to our house. We talk about him. We talk about who Saint Nicholas was but mostly we focus on Jesus. This year was fun. We celebrated the Feast of  Tabernacles, which according to the math done by some scholars, that was when Jesus would have been born.

Then we watched "The Star of Bethlehem". Where the dad did the math and realized that the end of December very likely could have been when the Magi visited Jesus.

We celebrated that God was made flesh and came down to earth ... to grow and live as we have.
We celebrated family and individuality - because each gift was unique to the recipient.
And I got all the hugs and the "Oh, THANK YOU!!!" . (The professor got his fair share, too. but they know who did the shopping) I sat there among the toys that needed to be removed from their packaging and thought to myself ... "THIS is why Santa doesn't come to our house."

It was a most excellent Christmas.