Almost Ready for Christmas

We are almost ready.


We decorated the tree (in our jammies, of course).


Each ornament was carefully placed.


Each child exclaimed over the ornaments as they took them out of the boxes, remembering who gave it to them and what it signified.


And Mom tried hard not to notice that she wasn't the only one who could reach the top of the tree this year.

 
The school Christmas program was performed.


Prayers were answered as lines were remembered.


Trombones were in tune.


Santa was besieged.


At church, the angels sang. And coughed.


Little ones sang of a baby in a manger. Actually, one little one sang. But they all looked cute.


Shepherds discussed the visit from the coughing angels while arguing over whose line came next and who got to hold the stuffed sheep.


Wise men persons, who looked vaguely like the shepherds from a previous scene, came from afar. They brought gold, frank and scents, and mire.


And the true meaning of Christmas was revealed in the form of two homeless people who wandered into the church, disrupted the program, turned out to be angels, and skipped several lines at the end, confusing each other and providing a healthy dose of comic relief.


The requisite photo in front of the tree was snapped after a series of cheesy grins, rolled eyes, grimaces, smirks, and glares.

And so, we're almost ready. There are cookies, fudge, and truffles. There are presents under the tree. There are completed Christmas crafts.

Now, all we need is a silent night. A night to reflect on the reason for all of this. A night to remember, to be mystified, and to brim over with joy.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and hoping that you, too, will enjoy a silent night in this holiday season.