"So it was, while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them at the inn." Luke 2:6-7

Isn't it funny how Christmas changes when you become a mother?
I think back to when I was a child, excited, so excited about all of it. Lights, trees, my Christmas list, the yearly jaunt to Tennessee where there would be more lights, more trees, more presents (and cousins!)... It really is different when you are a child. Then, as you age, you become more jaded. Suddenly you see the gifts you didn't get, the gifts everyone else got, the stress, the fatigue... and Christmas is robbed. This is not a new thought. Just a true thought.

After you get married, it is more work. Parent's house, inlaws' house, trying to find the "perfect" present for people who don't really care or like what you get anyways. Those trips out of town become stressful and expensive. The lights and tree are work. And shopping? Ick. Crowds, money, aching feet...

Then... the baby comes. Ahhh, the baby. The magic of that baby's first Christmas. The anticipation every year of "Will she GET it this year? Will she KNOW who Santa Claus is?" Watching that light, that excitement, build through weeks of advent calendars, toy commercials, decorating... ahhh. Still a lot of work, but so worth it to know that you are reinstating that magic for your own child. It recaptures it a bit for yourself. The work? Seems easier, because it brings a smile to their face. The travel? More people in your baby's world that love them and want to see them. The money? Who doesn't enjoy finding items that you know your child will love?? It all becomes worth it. Everything has a purpose, and that purpose is to make it a magical time for your child!

Recently I was working on my baby's Christmas stocking (I have pics in my Christmas photos). I have made these stocking for each child, as my mom did for me and my siblings. It is very time-consuming, often frustrating, but worth it for the end result. I still cherish the one my mom made for me. This stocking I just finished has a detailed scene, including Mary holding the Baby Jesus. Something happened to me while working on this picture. While I stitched and sequined, knotted and cut, the image of this mommy holding this precious, precious baby moved me. This infant form of the God I worship, being tenderly held by His own earthly Mommy, a Mommy who had so much to celebrate that first Christmas, not the least of which was this new life in her arms (the ultimate in unexpected pregnancies!). This new life who would BECOME new life for people everywhere, for all time ("For there is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" Luke 2:11). And she loved Him! She would have loved Him had He NOT been God. But how much more special that He was! I actually teared up while working on this stocking because I could FEEL that love. He was God, but for a very short time, He was hers.

Looking at that representation of the love of a mommy for her very special baby... much like the love I feel for my little guy, on this, his first Christmas. The love I feel for my 2-year-old son, who is just getting into the fun of the season. The love I feel for my daughter, who is understanding now what Christmas is, not only presents and fun, but Jesus's birthday as well. What a magical time of year this is for them, and for me, now that I get to be a part of it for them!

That initial joy we have, those first couple of years, often starts to wane as we try to figure out how to make Christmas HAPPEN for all these people (especially the little ones). We all want to do better, better than when we were kids, better than what we remember, many times better than what we can actually do. We want to make sure that they get everything they want as well as everything they need, that everything is perfect. And sometimes, when money is tight, or circumstances are bad, it can rob Christmas of that joy. I wonder how Mary felt when her precious baby's first Christmas was spent in a stable? That she had no better place for Him, this gift, this life? Perhaps, knowing who this baby was, instead of guilt and shame, of disappointment, she felt the joy of knowing that this baby was hers. This gift was hers. What an honor! What joy! How could Christmas get any better than that? And that God chose her to bring forth not only this gift for her, but for all people everywhere, for all time- what a thought! What a gift.

I guess the best thing we can do this Christmas, and every Christmas, is remember that the best gift has already been given, to us and to our kids. Christ. The next best thing is to make sure that THEY know that. No matter what is or isn't under the tree, which toys they saw on tv that they didn't get, they already have the BEST. How's that for perspective? Maybe then we can put joy in its proper place- right there at the front of the season.

And remember to be thankful for the gifts we have already received- these babies. Baby Jesus, and then the babies He gave to us. And pray, really pray, that their joy in this season is everlasting and untainted by growing up.
And ours too.

*I wrote this two years ago, but recently discovered it and wanted to share it with you. Merry Christmas to all of you, and may you remember how loved and blessed you TRULY are this Christmas season!