?!

I hope that all who visit this site had a wonderful Christmas holiday, regardless of how you may (or may not) choose to celebrate it. I know that I have thoroughly enjoyed mine, perhaps even more-so than some of my Christmases of the past. (Christmases? Christmasi? Christmi?) There were a few things that happened that really made me stop and think about the whole celebration at this time of year, and I thought really hard about what Christmas means to me. And, while pondering, I had a few experiences that helped to solidify in my mind the way(s) that I hope to celebrate Christmas in the future.

Christmas has always  been family time for me. There have only been two Christmas days that I didn’t get to spend with my parents and most of my siblings. However, as we’ve all grown older, our “typical” celebration has evolved a bit. On Christmas Eve, we have a candle-lit lasagna dinner that my mom always pulls off impeccably. This meal is preceded and followed with chit-chat, laughter, games, and nacho dip. Us boys rally around the crock pot to prepare our post-lasagna feast with excitement and then settle in for the evening with a bag of chips and many bowls of dip. Christmas morning used to be VERY early, but now we casually have a delicious breakfast of Mom’s homemade biscuits and gravy and the most amazing cinamon rolls in the world. After we’re filled to the brim, we move on to the presents and more laughter/chit chat. The rest of Christmas day is very relaxed – if there are friends to visit, we split off to make our rounds; if there is extended family in town, they may stop by for a visit; otherwise, we just sit around in our PJs all day and do whatever the heck we want.

This year, for me at least, had a few new twists. While I would normally just spend the night at Mom and Dad’s on Christmas Eve, I decided to attend a Christmas Eve worship service with some friends, one of which was singing as part of the service. This program began at the early hour of 11pm and lasted until about midnight. While it was VERY different that the types of services that I normally attend, it was very neat to participate in that type of formal activity on Christmas Eve. Instead of just being lazy and having fun with my siblings, I was focusing on a different meaning of the holiday. But that wasn’t the part that was the most profound. Aside from my family, there are a handful of people that may as well be adopted into my family, as far as I’m concerned. But since they “have their own families”, or some other such nonsense, I don’t normally get to actually SHARE these holidays with them. Well, three of these folks were in attendance at this service, and I got to ring in the first few minutes of Christmas with them. I didn’t realize how much I would deeply enjoy that experience, and I would never have anticipated it, but I truly enjoyed being able to lean over to some of my closest friends and just say “Merry Christmas.” It was really special.

And while that was even a bit sappy for my taste, there was still one more heart-warming event that fits right in. First, some history: I have never really known my dad to have “friends”. He doesn’t “hang out” with anyone other than family, he doesn’t go to the ball games or bars or clubs, and, heck, he doesn’t even go out very frequently with Mom. He goes to work, wears himself out entirely, and then comes home and relaxes for the evening. This evening, though, his side of the family was over for our typical extended family feast, and then he all-of-a-sudden had to leave to “go pick up a friend”. But that’s all that was said as he walked out the door. About an hour later, well after the food had been consumed, I cornered Mom and asked her where Dad had really gone. She then quietly explained that Dad had received a phone call from an old friend from grade school who was having a tough time. He was recently released from jail, but had no place to go on the day after Christmas. He was in downtown Peoria and had nothing. At all. On the day after Christmas. So, without hesitation, Dad had left to go get this guy to bring him into OUR place for heat, warm food, and celebration. I was absolutely impressed at the way that Dad brought the guy into his home, introduced him to everyone, fixed him a plate of food, and then made absolutely certain that the guy felt welcome and loved by all. I’ve never, ever, witnessed that type of outreach, and it has really left an impression on me.

Now that I’ve rambled on and on waaay more than intended, I’ll stop. But, I’ll always remember how much better Christmas is when it is shared. I’ve always made it a point to spend it with family, but, while I don’t want that part to change, I want to be sure to share it with as many people as possible. I have been given SOO much and have enjoyed that for myself – it’s my turn to share.