Christmas Eve
From the moment the alarm rang this morning and I dragged myself out of bed, I’ve felt the march of time toward Christmas night. Being a grown up, that march chanted to me about Things Yet To Do So We Can Be Ready. Thus the day of Christmas Eve becomes hecticly full of cleaning and food preparation. I moved from one task to the next while hearing the echo of marching time in the back of my head. Must move faster to get it all done. The kids had a much different experience. For them, the time between Now and Christmas Morning moves slowly, one dragging footstep after another. They’ve been counting those slow footsteps since before Thanksgiving.
But fast or slow, somehow we all arrive in the evening. Prepared or not, the time is here. Time to visit with relatives. Time to laugh. Time to look at each other. Time to light the candles. Time to read the Christmas story. Time to set aside thoughts of anything outside this little bubble of experience that is our Christmas Eve celebration. And then it is done. The kids are in bed, trying frantically to sleep as fast as they can, so morning can arrive. Soon I will fill the stockings and lay out the surprises for Christmas morning. Then I too will sleep.
And while we sleep, time will march on with measured steps, carrying us further away from the birth that is the source of Christmas celebration and into a future that I hope will be made better and brighter by people who care about each other. May we all allow Christmas to make our hearts grow a few sizes, so that we are forever after more able to love and less prone to hurt.