Tonight felt like Christmas. I know January 1st is a little late to say that since it's New Years Day. I'm not getting things mixed up, Houston, there is no problem... I just haven't been in the Christmas mood at all this year. Years past of working in retail force me to avoid the malls at all costs over the holidays (so I wasn't subjected to the forced canned Christmas happiness where everything looks like it threw up green and red bobbles) - even seven years after the fact! This is my first non-Xerox Christmas in ages. I didn't have to work the crazy hours, I didn't feel like I was pulled away from all the people that I wanted to spend time with. But at the same time, it just didn't feel like Christmas - but tonight it did. My cousins came over with their kids and one other cousin with her boyfriend, my Nana was here, my parents my sister. I got a chance to remember what it's like to be surrounded by family. I've needed that. I've felt so single minded recently, it's been school, school, school and since my old flame and I broke up, I think I've been lonelier than even I'd like to admit.
But tonight, after much cajoling and persistent pestering, Laura brought out her flute, Aurora sat down at the piano, and they played Christmas carols. They played without sheet music, ad-hoc and vamped up the middle bits - essentially they jammed (which sounds kinda bizarre for a flute and piano!) I haven't heard Laura play in so long. She is so talented, I love just listening to her play - I hope she can keep falling in love with music all her life. What an amazing thing it is to have put in so much work and to now be able to reap the benefits by just sitting down and playing something. Tonight those two brought me Christmas - and even though I told them that - I don't really know if they really understand.
Technically - 'Tis still the Season - It's still Christmas in my books! I went to two different churches yesterday - one celebrated Christmas 1 the other celebrated Epiphany. I know it can be either, but to me Epiphany has always been on Jan 6th. So this is the Christmas season - the 12 days of Christmas - a time to celebrate the Christ child born among us and to celebrate God born into our lives. To know that in life, death, joy, sorrow, pain, fear, love and peace follow us every day of the year - events in our lives that happen at Christmas are no different from any other day of the year. But this is a time that we can pause, and remember the events of history 2000 years ago. Not a fictional story, but a historical event - the incarnation of God, here among us. A time to pause that we take to live into the love of God that shows us how to live out our love for each other.
I'm glad Christmas finally hit me.
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