Tuesday, December 25, 2007

merry christmas


It's 1:30 am. The house is dark except for the glow of the Christmas lights. Everything is quiet--even John gave up on me and went to bed. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve. We spent the day visiting friends and neighbors, and then had a very peaceful celebration at my parents' house. It has been years since I've spent Christmas Eve with my parents, and I was only mildly surprised that the routine for the evening is still the same as when I was growing up. We sang Christmas carols, then sang Silent Night in German. We recited Luke 2 from memory, and then read the same verses from the German Bible. My mom added a slide show this year that she had made for a Relief Society class she taught. It set pictures of Christ's life to Behold the Lamb of God from the Messiah. It was very moving and really set a nice tone for Christmas.

When we got home, we found a package left by one of our sweet neighbors. It was a bag of oatmeal and glitter, along with a little poem about Rudolph finding his way to our house. We went outside and sprinkled the oatmeal in our yard. Then as Katelyn and Carter got in bed, we heard sleigh bells outside. Katelyn got a lot more excited than Carter, and actually went to sleep right away with the knowledge that Santa was on his way.

I am so excited to see the kids' faces when they see what Santa has brought for them. Katelyn is at a really fun age to experience the magic of Christmas, and we're trying to make the most of it.

I have so many things I want to write about. We have done some really fun things with the kids this month. But it has been very busy, so I'm quite behind on my blogging. So expect a lot of catch-up posts later on. For now, I'm going to bed to try to push the excitement from my mind and get some sleep. I wish you all a fun and peaceful Christmas with your families.

8 comments:

BAK said...

Mel, I loved this post. Your description of spending Christmas Eve with your parents was beautiful; it sounds like you had such a peaceful, wonderful night. I love that resonating peace that comes over you on Christmas Eve, when everything is finally done and you can sit back and enjoy it.

You guys are the greatest. We love you all! Hope your Christmas morning was wonderful.

Becky said...

I was up till about 1:30, too, and then I woke up at least once an hour during the night. I can never sleep on Christmas Eve!

Stephanie said...

Your Christmas Eve sounds like it was so neat! I wish I could have been with you guys at mom and dad's house. Cory and I followed the Minert tradition almost to a "T" this year, though, so I was there in spirit! I love the picture of your living room on Christmas Eve. It looks so beautiful. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We sure did!

[alisar] said...

Got your card. Made me cry. Miss you guys.
Beautiful picture of your living room. I want a close up of that "Bell" sign on your mantle. It looks cool.
Merry Christmas!

Lucy said...

I love your night shot. That is so how I feel about christmas eve too. I hope the day of was every bit as good as the night before.

Oh...and I've got a second mike. You better come over.

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luvmy5boyscora said...

Hey Mel, I love this post and I love your picture of your tree at night with the lights. I am glad you had a good Christmas. Thanks for the card and picture of your cute family.
(I would love a copy of that rudolph, glitter and oatmeal poem)

luvmy5boyscora said...

Hey Mel, I miss you!