A Christmas to Remember

Twas the week of Christmas and all through house, There was hustling and bustling, and moving about, For days the snow had been falling from heaven, more that I'd seen since 1987! The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
Then moved for the wet boots and snow pants to dry there. By the fire, we sat and drank coffee and tea, cooking and baking and chatting with glee...

I could keep going with the week of Christmas rhyming scheme, but story telling in rhyme tends to get silly.

I truly have had an extraordinary week. It was like going back in time. I've grown up hearing stories of what Christmas was like for my Mother growing up on a farm in Minnesota. She tells these stories in such a way that I can feel the anticipation of her little girl self waiting for the pond to freeze over so that she can go ice skating. I can smell the hay and animals as she talks of the hours spent playing in the barn. And I can almost taste the sweet Norwegian dishes of krumkake, kringle, and Minnesota harvest bars that her mother would make. This Christmas gave my Mother a taste of her childhood and I got share it with her.


For the first time in years my family got to truly enjoy the holiday and take as much time as we liked. My younger sister and I spent hours outside everyday, snowboarding down our driveway! With a little sledding and snowman building thrown in. Our house was filled the fragrant aroma of a Norwegian woman who has the time to cook. Our days were spent by reading and writing, listening to our radio speakers (Stuart & Jill Briscoe, Ravi Zacharias, Dr. David Jeremiah, and Erwin McManus just to name a few) with music and laughter, watching Lord of the Rings and cheezy Christmas movies, and most of all enjoying the day.

Society promotes busy-ness. We as indivivuals are expected to keep up with the world. I have been challenged as my life was slowed down beyond my control. God knew what He was doing - God knows what He is doing. Why is it so hard to trust Him? King Solomon Wrote, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Proverbs 16:9) We must make plans and then we need to trust that the Lord will guide our steps.

So the next time your plans are changed beyond your control: you're snowed in, you're stuck in traffic, or your flight is delayed, trust that God knows what He is doing. I encourage you to enjoy the change of pace that it offers. You may even find out it is precisely what you need in order to do what needs doing the rest of the time.

Christmas Eve Eve

The children's author, Kay Thompson, wrote a beautiful story about a little girl named Eloise. (You'll have to read it, or at least watch the movie.) One thing about Eloise that becomes 'rather' obvious is how much she loves Christmas. She loves Christmas so much that she even celebrates Christmas-Eve-Eve!

Why do people with that kind of enthusiasm seem so hard to find? I think we all take turns blaming commercialism, family, work, etc. (Definition: Enthusiasm; intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval.) Last time I checked, enthusiasm is a personal choice.

Today is Christmas-Eve-Eve, and I have so much to be thankful for, and so much to celebrate in anticipation of the joyous day where we remember our Lord Jesus' birth. The unusual snow in Seattle has given us a unique opportunity to slow down. I am challenged to take the opportunity to enjoy and to anticipate. I want to have that contagious child-like faith with the enthusiasm of Eloise. What would you do if you had a moment to slow down and actually enjoy what was going on around you? I'm going to enjoy what God has given me - today!