Before you, I had decorations that were placed with perfection; I wanted all decorations to exude elegance; and all presents were wrapped in burgandy, gold, or dark green paper tied up with ribbon to match the recipient's personality. That's how Christmas used to be. And then you each came along. And you brought magic with you.
Now I've been reminded of the magic of Santa's reindeer, the joy of decorating with no rules except tickling your fancy. I've been reminded of anticipation, excitement, and whimsy.
Now it's about which kind of cookie is Santa's favorite. I used to be completely against "characters" and then princesses and a prince became rulers at our house. I still like pretty, wrapped packages, but now pretty is defined as shiny, pink, whimsical.
I've been reminded of trips to see Santa, writing letters to Santa, and driving around to find the best Christmas lights. I've been reminded of what it feels like to be too excited to sleep the night before Christmas.
It's not about perfect decorations, but now about decorations that tell a story. Stories of childhood, stories of time spent together.
The most important story. It used to be about a story I knew and treasured in my heart. Now it's a story that I need to instill in my children's hearts and teach you to treasure. Now Christmas is about a 3 year old's reenactment of Mary and her baby boy, her Redeemer. It's about the story of God leaving the splendor of heaven to be born in the most humble of ways told from the heart of a 4 year old.
Now Christmas is about making memories while celebrating the birth of our Savior.
Thank you for the memories. I will treasure them forever.
Merry Christmas 2011, Loves.
No comments:
Post a Comment