I am seventy years old. How could I possibly be feeling like a little kid? But, I do have a sense of anticipation as tomorrow is Christmas Eve! It's not about presents, because we don't do much more then little stocking stuffers (and I find and wrap most of them...). It's not so much about food, though we are planning to go to dinner at Joe's Crab Shop tomorrow night and having Christmas dinner at Leslie's parent's house on Sunday. It's certainly not about a WHITE Christmas, it was almost ninety here in Clermont, Florida today and we actually turned on the air conditioners. It's not about family, as they are sadly all a L-O-N-G way away.
My early memories of Christmas are of driving around town at night looking at the Christmas lights and decorations; of pieces learned and recited for Grange Christmas parties; of Christmas Eve at church and then going to Grandma Kubik's house to open presents -- in the parlor we weren't allowed into any other time of the year.
The constant of Christmas all of my life has been a sense of wonder about the child that was born in the barn -- and laid in a manger. The realization of what a wonderful gift that infant was to be to all of us. So I guess that's what the sense of anticipation is all about. A sense that once more we are celebrating the remembrance of that wonderful present so many years ago that still is with us today!
This is a beautiful post! I could picture everything you wrote about, even reciting the pieces at the Grange Hall, where our church met for awhile after our building burned down! Most of all, Jesus' birth is our best gift, forever and ever!
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