It's after midnight on Christmas Eve, a night that has always been a favorite of mine. When I was a little girl my family always went to my great-grandmother's house for Christmas Eve and I adored the magic of that night. My great-grandmother lived alone in a little house a block away from my elementary school and I loved going there. Her house always had an aroma of butter and sweetness. There was something on the stove, relatives were dropping by, and everything seemed so big then.
The only thing that didn't seem big was her Christmas tree. Every year her little tree was placed atop a small table which was next to her chair. The chair was where my Mammaw Katie Lewis would sit to watch the great grandchildren open our presents, lots of presents. I remember asking my mother why my great-grandmother had such a small tree and she said it was because she lived alone and didn't have a reason to have a big tree. That answer never satisfied me because even as a child, I never did anything small.
Now, as an adult, I think about the alone part. Mammaw Lewis never seemed alone to me because we were there. Of course, that's a child's point of view when you only know about the part of the world you're in at the moment. I never thought about what my great-grandmother did after we left her house precisely when the channel 12 weatherman said that Santa was on his way to the Ark-La-Tex. Once we headed home in the blue wood-paneled station wagon, I only thought about getting in my bed and waiting for Santa. Now I am Santa and I'm quite reflective. I would imagine my great-grandmother was reflective on Christmas Eve as well. And tonight as I've been surrounded by family at church and a party, put the kids and the hubs to bed, and played Santa — I sit alone in my living room, enjoying the quiet before the chaos Christmas morning will bring.
I'm thinking of Christmases past and relatives passed on. I'm thinking of presents and having presence, gifts given and the Greatest Gift we can receive. I'm hoping that you have a merry little Christmas and think about our Savior who was born so long ago on a night that must have felt very alone to the young mother who bore him. That is a gift I don't take for granted.
I also don't take you for granted. Thank you for spending a few moments here when you have the time. I have great readers and friends who are just wonderful. I wish you a very merry one.
Love,
kerryfaler.blog 