The Best Christmas Ever

The house is quiet, but peacefully so.  Rooms are slowly returning to their usual arrangements.  The Christmas tree, decorations and china will be packed away in the coming days but for now they remain, visible reminders of last weekend when our house was full, our stomachs indulged and our hearts overflowing with love and gratitude to God.

I smile as I begin to corral from other rooms the toys and things that reside in the grandkids room.  There is the Lego tray Tyler used when he played postman.  That tray delivered custom designed Christmas cards to his parents, aunts and uncles, and his cousins – cousins who can’t yet read but who already understand family love and connection.  I spy some curly ribbon on a chair, leftover from one of Reagan’s birthday presents.  She enjoyed her Princess Pink-Pancake Birthday Brunch we had the morning after Christmas, and even let us set before her a 2^nd miniature birthday cake complete with lit candle so we could sing Happy Birthday to her again :)  Huddled together on the floor by the couch are Spot and Snoopy.  Lily loves all animals but especially dogs and along with her stuffed black lab they were carried around and loved on greatly while Lily was here.  Emily’s beloved Bambi rests on a shelf in the grandkids room, head down as if he misses the children.

Traces of Emily and Molly testify to their delightful week long stay at Grandpa and Grandma’s.  At 18 months one of Molly’s favorite toys was the basket of alphabet blocks.  I find the colorful blocks casually tossed in the doll-sized red wagon, grouped near the books on the grandkids room floor, or perched precariously on Madeline’s head.  The crib is still up; I’m not ready to put it away yet.  Lying inside it right where Molly left her is church doll, who slept with Molly every night.  Church doll looks a little cold, as she was immediately and efficiently stripped of her dress upon Molly’s arrival in bed the first night.  

The red Christmas tray with Emily’s careful arrangement is still in the grandkids room; I can’t bear to disturb it yet.  Emily loves the Nativity figures, and toward the end of her stay she asked if she could play with them.  She gathered the various wooden and ceramic figurines and grabbed a cloth yellow star ornament from the tree along with all nativity scene ornaments.  I watched as she carefully placed Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus in the manger.  She grouped the animals off to the side with the shepherd (“Grandma, his shepherd’s stick comes out!”), and put the wisemen on the other side of the manger, still in their worshipful poses.  She had several angels and they were arranged close to the manger, under the big yellow star which seemed to shine as brightly as the real one must have on that holy night so long ago.  As she worked she sang her own version of the Christmas story, telling of the baby’s birth, how the animals gathered around and how the angels sang.  Her child’s faith kept us ever mindful of Who we had all gathered to celebrate and what the Christmas season is all about (“Christmas is all about Jesus!”) 

 

The little blue wooden table their mother used when she was a girl is still sitting in the living room next to the tree, right where we placed it for Emily and Molly to have lunch their last day here.  The table has been cleared, but the chairs are pushed back expectantly as if waiting for the girls to come sit for their next meal.  This too I want to leave in place just a little bit longer.

Moving on to the kitchen, there is very little left of the feast.   Some savory slices of ham, a few delicious morsels of prime rib from the bones, a scant portion of Grandpa’s famous homemade au gratin potatoes.  None of it will go to waste, and these too remind me of what a wonderful time we had together.  I look around the dining room, remembering how beautifully Laura prepared the table, perfectly arranging the dishes and colored napkins in their gorgeous gold rings.  I remember the talk and laughter of our children and grandchildren, passing steaming dishes around the table and asking for seconds and thirds of the meat and potatoes while still leaving room for sweet potato pie or Grandma’s Christmas cookies or a piece of Laura’s birthday cake.   I can still see the little table, set at the foot of the dining table, where the oldest four grandchildren ate.  Smiling, happy faces are still clear in my memory, and the warmth and camaraderie can still be felt in that room.  The memories will still be sweet and fresh when I begin taking the Spode Christmas Tree china down and packing it away until next year.   I’ll think about how glad I am that Laura loves the pattern as much as I do because one day it will all belong to her :)

Now it is New Year’s Eve.  For me it’s no longer a time to go to parties and stay up past midnight; rather, it’s a time to sit quietly by the fire reflecting on how I’ve spent the time God gave me in 2011 and on all the things He has done for us, brought us through.  Time to count my many blessings and thank the Lord for His gifts of life and time, marveling again at the wonder of knowing that every moment of every day of my life has been laid out for me before I was born (Psalm. 139).  Best of all as a believer and Christ-follower of 37 years, no matter what the future holds I rest in the certainty my God is in control, unchanging and ever faithful, and I enjoy the freedom that can only come from being a humble servant of the living God.

It was indeed the best Christmas ever, and as I slowly let it go I’ll keep the memories and carry them into the New Year, full of hope and deep abiding joy.

The Girls are Back

Squeals of delight.  Arms outstretched wide as legs propel forward.  Eyes shining with anticipation.  And my granddaughters look that way too as we find each other at the airport!  Is there anything more wonderful than being greeted by the cutest toddler in the world who smiles as she lifts her arms to be picked up and says “Ga-ma”?!

Emily, Molly and their beautiful mother are here for the week.  The best Christmas gift ever, after Jesus Christ.  What will we do while they are here?  Well, we have to make a Target run of course – at least one – that’s a given.  And a visit to the Austin Children’s Museum is a must.  And have a visit from Aunt Lena, and Uncle Walter, and Aunt Tracy. 

But we won’t spend the entire time driving in the car or in busy-ness.  We’ll play a lot in the grandkids room – with Bambi, blocks, Noah and his animals, and lots and lots of books.  We’ll chase up and down the stairs a million times and laugh every time we get to the top.  We’ll make a gingerbread house, eat Grandma’s famous Christmas cookies, make some more cookies, play the piano, consider the presents under the tree, gaze at the lovely ornaments and lights, and walk by the inside Christmas dog Duke to hear him sing “Up on the housetop ho ho ho”.  We’ll splash in the bath.  Have wonderful dinners prepared by Grandpa and eat off matching Christmas dishes with special napkins.  We’ll take some cookies to a few of Grandma’s friends and some neighbors.  Their mother and I will watch a movie if we get the girls to bed in time, and spend every chance we get talking and sharing.  We’ll hug and smooch and tickle a lot.  We’ll have an occasional time out when little ones get cranky, but it won’t be needed often.  We’ll read the Christmas story, and go to church together as a family on Christmas Eve.  We’ll rearrange the figures on the nativity scenes set about in the living room, and talk about the wonder of the shepherds, the angels, and the wise men.  We’ll pray, and thank God for our many, many blessings.

And if we are truly fortunate, we’ll nap  :)