One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season this year involved sitting on all four corners of our living room with our Bibles, reading parts of God's amazing story of rescue and redemption through all sorts of his people. Our nights were almost entirely free in December, and carving out a half hour before bed to read, ask questions, share our observations, was one of the highlights of our Christmas season. And it kept us laughing, too! This was the first year Mila could contribute with her own reader response and we got a glimpse into the kind of student she is with her deep thoughts and elaboration skills. :) She was great at making connections, and really loved the affirmation she received when she had a great thought about something she read! She's going to love tearing into stories like her mama, I think. Cruz enjoyed the freedom to highlight passages or verses he found meaningful in his own Bible and I often noted that he picked out such great stuff. He's a good reader and thinker and I learned more about God from the observations Cruz made and shared with us.
Thanks to the extra time we had to carve out space to sit in the Christmas story this month, I was admittedly filled with more excitement than disappointment when our church shared that their Christmas Eve service would be online this year. After the year that's kept us home more than any other, it felt fitting to celebrate the birth of Jesus in a more intimate way similar to the way we had been doing "church" all month. While I knew Orchard's online Christmas Eve service would be special, I also wanted to create our own little experience at home that would culminate the year and perhaps give the kids a sweet memory of Christmas that isn't typical. Because while this year has been anything but typical, I want them to remember that we did our best to make it all pretty special.
Our slow Christmas Eve morning at home...
We still got dressed up, made a fancy dinner, and invited my parents over to spend the night with us.
And took a lot of pictures, to which they were thoroughly enthused...
Cruz was pumped that I let him go business-on-top-party-on-the-bottom, in true 2020 fashion!
A week before Christmas, we planned a little at-home service sharing some of the highlights from our Advent study, as well as the unique gifts we have. I talked to the kids about it ahead of time and shared that I wanted it to be a special way for our family to celebrate Jesus at home. They were so sweet about it, finding passages from their Bibles they could share, practicing their songs on the piano, and taking it all quite seriously! Mila wrote a little Christmas prayer and practiced it twenty times. I guess you could say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...
Mila started us off with her Christmas prayer: "Dear God, Christmas isn't about presents or stockings. It's about you and Jesus! A question people might ask is why did God make Jesus? Well, Jesus is a part of God's big plan and he is a huge part of the world! Just like us. Thank you, God, for making Jesus born in a stable. In your plan, a king isn't someone who wears armor, but a king is what you see on the inside. Just like Jesus your son. Amen!"
Next, Cruz chose to share the prophetic words of Zechariah after his son, John the Baptist was born: "...By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us - to give light to those who sit in darkness, to guide our feet to the way of peace." I read a little message I wrote, Cruz and Mila each played some hymns on the piano, and we took turns reading parts of the Christmas story, lighting different colored candles to represent the different characters who came into the story. Lighting the candles was Cruz's favorite part because we let him be in charge of the lighter. My dad reminded us that when he was a kid, he and his little sister accidentally started their family's couch on fire when they tried to have their own candlelight service. Needless to say, we watched the candles carefully!
After the candles were lit and our room was aglow, one by one, we extinguished each one as the story continued and everyone returned to their places - the shepherds back to their flocks, the angels back to Heaven, the wise men back east. And at last, we were left with a single white candle burning life and hope and peace into our quiet Christmas Eve night.
"And this life, Jesus Christ, was the light of the world. The light still shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out. And it all began on a silent, holy night, long ago..."
We closed out with Beau playing Silent Night on guitar, then feasted on grilled steaks, potatoes, salad, and Christmas cookies! Then with full bellies, we cozied up on the couch to watch Orchard's beautiful Christmas Eve service, featuring our favorite Brad and Kate AND a surprise guest appearance from Maddie Poppe. She sang "O Holy Night" and slayed it.
I never anticipated how special it would be to celebrate Christmas Eve at home. The candles in the living room, the quietness that allowed me to hear Cruz and Mila sing, the way Mila snuggled up in the crook of her Papa's arm, and not getting annoyed with Cruz when he grew antsy and had to change seats or use the bathroom. ;) There was no rush, no crowds, no timeline - and I could just sit in the stillness of it all and really watch their sweet faces glow. It was a beautiful, special night I will always cherish.
Then afterwards, we partied! With Christmas Eve boxes of new books and pjs, Christmas cookies and White Russians, squeals of delight throwing handfuls of oatmeal on the driveway for the reindeer, and last minutes cards created for Santa because - Mila. And when they discovered Santa was inching closer to the States with every second that passed by, they nestled in their beds with that Christmas Eve glow still lit up on their faces. A glow that could be felt from the inside out.
Such a special Christmas Eve. I think our favorite one yet.
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