Christmas Eve Musings

Right now I'm sitting in my dining room next to the Christmas tree, listening to Christmas Gregorian chants playing quietly in the background. Soon I'll be watching It's a Wonderful Life with my family while eating popcorn. But right now I wanted to sit down and type.
It's been a long semester. It's been filled with school, with extracurriculars, with college applications, with stress. But with Christmas here, I've been able to relax. To forget about some of the things that have been stressing me all semester. For me, Christmas has always been a time to take a break from the long year and just relax. It's often a haven in a sea of the year. And in that respect it hasn't been any different.
However, it has been different in some ways: I'm using this Christmas season to prepare myself for the last semester of high school. And I'm using it to be thankful for the little things. I suppose you could say that that has been the theme of this Christmas season for me. It's been all about little things:
My favorite Christmas song coming on the radio while I'm driving to Starbucks.
Finding the perfect Christmas present for someone.
Spending time with my closest friends.

Watching glitter gleam in the shine of Christmas lights.

Making fudge and candy.

Dancing with my favorite person.

Wearing red lipstick.
Talking to my best friends before watching The Hobbit.
Cuddling up on the couch with a blanket to watch a movie.
Snuggling in blankets with my cousin watching one of our favorite TV shows late at night.
Walking around in an abandoned barn.

Being reminded of my favorite things.
Perfectly wrapping a present or fluffing up tissue paper in a bag just right.
Simply having best friends.

Carefully unwrapping a present.
Going shopping and singing along with the radio while walking around in the cold.
Sitting in Starbucks on Christmas Eve, drinking chai, reading The Fellowship of the Ring.
The sheer, bare beauty of winter.

It has really been all about the little things in life. But isn't that what life really is? A conglomeration of little things fit together in a perfect puzzle of life?
Although we talk about the "big" things that happen in our life, and although those big things are important, our life consists of these little things. These every day beauties that pop up all around us. And even the big things come about because of the normal things that occur day to day.
The little things of this season have been everything about this season. Although it hasn't been a terribly eventful Christmas season, the little things have made it all that it is. It really has been a beautiful season, thanks to the little things, family, and incredible friends who have filled it.

Merry Christmas here's to many more

It's almost Christmas day.
As I sit on my bed with my Christmas, knee-toe socks, listening to my favorite Relient K Christmas songs, I can barely believe it's almost here. It feels like the season just began. And now it's almost over.
I've spent the past few days doing typical Christmasy things. Thursday was my baking fest: two batches of cookies, a batch of fudge, and two pecan pies. Three hours in the kitchen. It's not very often that I have the time or inclination to bake for three (or maybe it was four...) hours, but it just seemed like a classic Christmas thing to do. And oh how I do love baking. It fills the air with a scents of Christmas. (aha. Look at what I did there. Isn't that funny? No? Okay...)
Christmas presents galore today. My cousins, my brother, and I all went out mid afternoon today to do last minute Christmas shopping. Shops bursting at the seams with lots of folks and people smiling more than usual. Boots and hats and sweaters if you felt like being Christmasy even though it was in the 60s or 70s. It's so lovely to see everyone with Christmas in their hearts.
Despite the fact that I'm 16, Christmas holds a certain magic to it. I've almost always been one of those starry eyed, head-in-the-clouds kind of girls - reading the whole Anne of Green Gables series didn't help matters much. And so when something that's generally known as magical comes around, I'm all the more starry eyed, head-in-the-clouds. If you had been looking out the window of one of the houses in my neighborhood today, you might have spotted me skipping down the street gleefully looking at the pretty clouds and bright blue skies listening to Christmas Lights on my iPod. Every Christmas, and this year particularly, certain songs, smells, sights remind me of being a little kid. It's so beautiful.
I love how there is one time in the year that everyone wants to spend it doing traditional things, and spend it remembering, loving, cherishing those dear old memories of long ago (or not so long ago). Everyone becomes a child around Christmas. Everyone comes together, and there's a sense of love and that wintry color of blue in the air.

Every day during the Christmas season, I'm more than likely to get the chills thinking about a perfect Christmas scene. I smile as I open my windows in the morning and look at the chilly morning outside, frost on the ground, blue light making its way through the clouds covering any and all sky. If no one is looking, I might twirl around the kitchen for a full minute while humming I Hate Christmas Parties. I still go in the dining room where our Christmas tree is to count presents. I'll sit on my bed drinking chai or hot chocolate staring complacently out into the wintry clouds listening to I Celebrate the Day. And I may or may not dance around my room lip-syncing to All I Want for Christmas is You if I'm in not such a cozy-sweaters-and-chai mood.

Yes, indeed, I believe something fills me around Christmas that no other time of year can do. Oh yes, I'm a generally very happy person. But at Christmas I find a little bit more secret kind of joy. It's not the kind that everyone can see. It's a deep feeling of absolute bliss. A feeling of winter and blue skies and snow and white lights. A simple kind of peace. Peace.... candles flickering. Knitting fingerless gloves and leg warmers. Blankets and good books. Fires. It's that simplicity and complete contentedness that makes my heart so thrilled. And although if you were to look at me at such a moment of contentedness, you might only see a slight smile, as Anne of Green Gables would say, "I'm thrilled to the very depths of my soul."

I don't know if everyone enjoy Christmas in such a childish way as I do, but I believe that most people enjoy some sort of light feeling around the heart at this time of year. Amid all the stress of present wrapping and Christmas cookie baking, I think most people find some time to sit down and appreciate some sort of James Taylor easiness in their soul. (and if they don't, they must have an absolutely rotten month) It's so good to be around people who all feel that kind of joy.
One thing that has changed since when I was kid was that all I ever used to think about were the presents. Sure, I liked looking at lights and watching Christmas movies, but it all led up to the day that you actually opened presents. Now I couldn't care less about the presents. I just love the general mood. The beauty and wonder of the smiling heart. I care about the love that is spread. And I care about the childlike wonder that people are more likely to feel around Christmastime. It's a beautiful thing.

Another beautiful thing is the story about a teenage girl, a carpenter, and a baby born in a stable and placed in an animal trough. The story that continues to a cross. The story that tells of a loving Savior. One that would allow us to receive grace and redemption. The Christmas story gives us the promise stated in Ephesians 2:4-7, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." We have received this grace because of that lovely story that Linus tells in A Charlie Brown Christmas. Tidings of great joy. On earth peace and good will toward men.

Fragile finger sent to heal us

Tender brow prepared for thorn

Tiny heart whose blood will save us

Unto us is born

Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around You

Breathe our air and walk our sod

Rob our sin and make us holy

Perfect Son of God

Welcome to our world 

Merry Christmas!
Here's to many more


{and I'm off to enjoy the typical Christmas Eve traditions - crab soup, opening one present, and watching a delightful Christmas classic... most likely It's a Wonderful Life or How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Oh how I love them both. Who doesn't love Dr. Seuss and Jimmy Stewart?}

The Christmas Story

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was a governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with
whom He is pleased!"

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.~Luke 2:1-20





Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him,
"In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of
Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers
of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
Who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him." After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh."~Matthew 2:1-11

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope all of you have a great Christmas. Don't forget Who we are celebrating on Christmas. Not only are we celebrating His birth, but we are celebrating the reason of His birth. RelientK says it very well: "I celebrate the day that You were born to die so I could one day pray for You to save my life." He was born to die for us! That is pretty incredible. Praise God for the sacrifice of His Son - Jesus Christ, our Savior. Emmanuel. God with us.

Enjoy your Christmas - here are some pictures from my Christmas season



Merry Christmas! And as Tiny Tim would say - "God bless us - everyone!"

~Madison

Joy

Joy.
Christmas cheer.
It's about all you hear about this time of year.
And yeah, it's pretty cliched I have to admit.
I mean, we hear the same thing every single year, "Oh tidings of comfort and joy." Everyone sit around the fire and roast marshmallows and we'll all be happy, right?
I think not.
Lately, my life hasn't been exactly what you call "joyful." Nothing majorly bad, just regular things all teenagers go through, I guess. And I'm sure that not everyone around this time of year is singing "Have a holly jolly Christmas" and really means it.
But then joy kinda brings me back to what Christmas is about. Jesus. I mean, He is WHY we're supposed to be joyful right? I think a lot of times we just hear the word joy and it goes over our heads. I mean think about: Joy. True joy. Where does real, honest to goodness, bona fide joy come from? Well obviously from Christ. I know a lot of times, without even noticing I'm doing it, I just try to find joy in other things. In my friends, in relationships, in family, and even in this fun time of year. I look for joy in all the wrong places. Especially lately. And lately I have been looking at all the bad things going on in my life, and I'm thinking, "Why is this happening to me?" Well. Maybe it's because the things that are going wrong are the places where I was looking for joy. And maybe these tough things are really going to bring me to true, pure joy that only my Savior can give me.
As this Christmas season begins, I have really been evaluating where my joy is coming from. I have realized I haven't been seeking joy from my Savior, but from other things that are distracting me from Him. So from now on, whenever I start singing Joy to the World, I need to remember where I can only find true joy. Within the past few weeks I have just started thinking a lot about how lost I am without a Savior. I mean, I've always known that, but it has hit me so hard with all the tough things that I go through. And I have started lately trying to really focus in on finding my joy in Christ.
Also, I think a lot of us have a huge misconception of joy. We think, "Oh joy is being happy and jolly and frolicsome and smiley and delighted and dancy and giggly and ladedadeda all the time." Ahem. ~game show wrong answer buzzer~ That's not true. Joy is not just being happy. It's learning to be content in whatever circumstances we happen to have. Example: James 1:2 "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds." 'K hold it right there. Do you think trials are fun and happy and jolly and frolicsome... okay you get the picture. Well obviously they aren't. No. This joy is learning to be content in our circumstances, and realize that God is using these circumstances to build us up in Him.
So. I guess what you could say is I'm trying to learn right now how to be joyful in circumstances that are less than frolicsome. And I know that Christ will teach me how to do that, if I just trust in Him. And for those who aren't having a terribly jolly Christmas season thus far, just remember where to find your true joy, peace, and solace.
I'm learning a new sense of the word "joy."

Lovelovelove and Christmas cheer
~Madison