Christmas Morning

When the kids were little Christmas morning started very early. They would come into our room and wake us up. Our son would climb on his dad’s chest and pry open his eyes with his little fingers saying, “Are you awake, daddy?” As they got older they learned to make coffee and then would wake us up. That was sweet. Now as young adults, we are usually up first, knocking on their door to wake them up.

I looked back on many fond memories of Christmas past. This year I realized it might be the last one we have in our traditional way. Next year my son will be living in Los Angeles and may not be able to come home for Christmas. Things change and isn’t that what life is all about. We may not always like it, but try to enjoy the present.

The love we share and joy we have in giving gifts to one another will never change. I was quite thrilled with the generosity of my children. They love giving presents as much as they love receiving them. I gave Tom a replica of the William Wallace sword, commonly known as, The Freedom Sword. He writes the blog, Emancipation of the Freed as you all well know by now and I wanted to give him something that represented what he was passionate about. The other part of his gift was I agreed to him getting a tattoo. I have been resistant to this for a long time, but I truly wanted him to know how much he means to me.

He had given me some special gifts in the past, but today he moved me to tears with his thoughtfulness. He bought me tickets to see a professional ballet, Swan Lake. I love the ballet, but have never seen a professional ballet company before. He remembered that. The best part of this gift is that it requires spending some alone time with him. You know your husband loves you when he’s willing to spend hours doing something that will bring you pleasure.

It’s the little things that can bless someone’s heart. When Tom was diagnosed with cancer, he got one of those rubber bracelets that said, Hope. It was a reminder to have hope for cancer. It broke several months ago. It made me cry. I was feeling a little hopeless at the time and it was the final straw. I started to give up at that point. In my stocking he replaced that bracelet with a stainless steel one with letters that spell out Hope. He gave me my hope back. He’s a good man and I’m grateful to the Lord for him and my children.

So as my children get older and life changes, Christmas morning may not always be the same, but some things will be constant – our love for one another.

© Nadine Z. 2006