Merry Christmas

I thought I had it down pat.  Keeping focus on the true spirit of Christmas.

We weren't going to make it about things or spending money we didn't have to spend.

We decorated the house with things we made, as well as making what presents we could.

We were completely prepared and excited to start demonstrating for Lucy how this holiday is really about family, and time spent together, thankfulness, and being grateful for the joy and peace in our hearts because of the baby boy born to save us.

And with nothing left on our calendar, I was going to spend the last several days before Christmas baking, meal planning, and finishing up a special present for the husband.

Then 5 days ago a little girl became very sick, followed by a sick Mama.  And my days of preparation turned into house arrest, on the couch, holding a sleeping, pitiful Lucy, intermixed with Steven holding her so that I could sleep and be pitiful.

No baking done, no Christmas Eve dinner planned, and my special present for Steven will now have to help bring in the new year.

Nothing huge really.  Fever, achy, snotty, a cough.  Nothing permanent, nothing life-threatening.  Not that big of a deal.

But yesterday I snapped.  I was frustrated and disappointed and didn't think it was fair that whatever Lucy is fighting is lasting so long.  And that my joy filled Christmas plans were gone.  I was weepy and emotional, and quite frankly just wanted to pout.

Clearly I haven't figured anything out!

Here I was ready to fight the commercialism and all the 'stuff' and things on the outside that I thought had the ability to distract us from what's important about Christmas.  Yet my own attitude did the same thing. 

You can celebrate Christmas a hundred different ways, it's the heart that makes the real celebration.

It's always a heart thing, isn't it?

Long overdue, I took my frustrated sick blues and gave them to my Lord.

Do I still wish I felt refreshed, and better yet that I looked refreshed?  Or that I would have my normal funny, energetic, happy girl to open presents in the morning?  Of course.

But I have my little girl, I have a baby growing in my belly.  We have bodies designed to fight these bugs and bounce back fully.  And we have things to aide that fight when we need help.  I have a husband who puts aside his needs and plans to stay home and help and comfort us, and joyfully I might add.

And we serve a God, a Heavenly Father, who not only comforts and heals, but cares more about our souls and desires to spend eternity with us!

So we celebrate Christmas.  When our Savior was born, sent to show us the way, to point us back to his Father, and to remove what separated us from God.

Yes we have plenty to celebrate this Christmas, even when my plans for how that celebration will look change.

And in the midst of our Christmas sickness, I am thankful and humbled by the lesson learned.

I am thankful for the reminder that distractions and thieves of joy come in all forms, but none of them can hold power over us if we keep our eyes on Christ...the man on the cross who came to us a baby in a manger.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.