The Early Bird

Much like the average person, Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning were such a time of anticipation and excitement for me. Trying to fall asleep, waking many times in the night checking the alarm clock to see if it was time to get up, and finally rising before the sun came up. I remember our routine on Christmas Morning: I would run into the living room and grab the stockings from under the tree. Trying not to take a peak in the large socks, I would then bust through my parents door waking them up with my less than quiet entrance. It was time to curl up in the middle of mom and dad in bed and begin pulling out each item. At that moment I would get all settled and ready to go, dad would roll over, bless me with a Christmas Greeting and instruct me to first go make a pot of coffee. Seriously! We had some serious work to do, no one had time for such nonsense. It was clear to me at these moments why dad had taught me at such a young age to make a good pot, regardless if I actually would partake of such grossness. What felt like days later, the pot was brewed and mom and dad were ready.

Here I am thirty something years later, awake in my bed, coffee in hand, full of excitement for the rest of the house to wake up on this beautiful Christmas Morning. Why, at such a “mature” age, would I be experiencing such child like anticipation? My waking up every hour on the hour to check the clock, setting the alarm for a time that usually feels like murder, hopping straight out of bed, debating whether a cup of coffee is even necessary, is all catching me quite off guard. I thought I had already grown out of these eager behaviors.

As I sit and wait for the rest of the house to join me, I hear the sweet short breaths of our brand new baby boy coming from the monitor in his nursery. Today will be this little boy’s first Christmas. A year, when paper, bows, and boxes are the most exciting part, however, the tree is filled with much more. But why? I feel I have spent the last several weeks trying to prepare my heart for the true meaning of Christmas, spending time focusing on Christ’s birth and trying to lower my child like expectations of what society tells us Christmas should look like. So why am I still reacting in such a way as this?

I have come to the realization it’s ok, today we are celebrating Christ’s love and sacrifice for us. As part of his love for me and my husband, we were gifted with this sweet bundle of joy. Today, we celebrate life. We celebrate love. We celebrate joy. We celebrate hope. We celebrate peace. We celebrate family. With this celebration comes: anticipation, gifts, and blessings to and from others. God is so faithful, God is so loving, and today we fully embrace that as we wake early, as we spend time with our families, as we gift those we love, and as we thank the Lord for sending his son to this earth.

Merry Christmas 2013!

- The Early Bird