It’s no surprise that I am very fond of order. While being married to someone who manages to locate his socks whether they are lined up in a row or tossed in a drawer has considerably lessened my organizational cravings, “a place for everything and everything in its place” still fits me well.
Perhaps then, it is a bit incongruous that Christmas is my favourite time of year. After all, the mayhem of Christmas shopping, the dozens of last-minute gatherings and details that inevitably arise, and the absolute impossibility of fitting everything into a tidy schedule all create an avalanche that obliterates my attempts at maintaining calm order. Still, the wonder of Christmas, the smells, traditions, music, and of course, the story of a baby born in Bethlehem, all have very special meanings to me. And so, once a year, I take a step outside the cozy room of predictability, and jump onboard the hayride of Christmas (especially if there will be hot chocolate at the end!).
Here are a few highlights from this year’s busy (but fantastic) ride…
Snow – and lots of it!
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Our little tree
Meals for the homeless on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the Salvation Army. Also went to a local shelter to share a meal and fellowship with some men who live there.
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Helping to sort food and raise funds to help the poor through the Salvation Army Food Bank.
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Serving a meal to a group of homeless people who came to our church unexpectedly (fantastic!).
Dinner with friends on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, too (we were spoiled).
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Opening gifts mailed by our crazy families and friends!
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…which meant that our Christmas hayride really did end with hot chocolate ☺
So, the season may not have been particularly tidy, or tucked neatly into manageable time slots, but that’s OK. After all, the reason for Christmas didn’t come delivered on a convenient schedule and wrapped up in a perfectly tied bow. With straw for a bed and twinkling stars for nightlights, perhaps a little bit of mess at Christmas is just a good reminder of how it all began.
Wow!! What a great way to share your Christmas with us! Thanks so much for doing that. Your tree is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! Hope you had enough gifts to overflow the tree!!
Love you, AC
Glad ya’ll enjoyed the fun package. It was well worth all the laughs!!! :o)
Love you both!
I love your tree! The bottle-mount is priceless!