‘Tis the Wonder of the Season
My husband is “watching football” on the couch. He’s snoring. The dog is curled up in the nest made by the crook of his bent knees. I’ve just hung up Facetiming with my family in North Carolina after 3 days of celebrating with my family in New Orleans. The grandsons are 6 and 4. They will grow up and will remember as if a dream their daddy’s hands patting out the sugar cookie dough, and the stage with lights where they played their new guitar under the disco ball, and the thick limbs of the magnolia tree where they climbed so high on Christmas Day. All of it will seem magical, as in, could anything so perfect have really existed?
I know this because it is how I remember the unknown Santa standing on the stoop with a gift for my widowed mama, and diving into the gigantic coloring book with the best pictures ever, and strutting into my grandmother’s house in my cap guns with snap shirt and cowboy boots so proud of how awesome I was, and how wonder-filled it felt. Not because I’d gotten “things,” but because the world cracked open and spilled unearned joy into my life.
This is Christmas Day, when God came into the world to bring us tidings of great joy: unto us a child is born and his name shall be called wonderful!
derrick knight
I watch Bargain Hunt in the same way as your husband watches football
Ellen Morris Prewitt
It seems to be a decided style 🙂
Donna Weidner
Ahhhh…we are kindred capgun slingers! Have a Happy New Year, Ellen. All the best to you and yours!
Ellen Morris Prewitt
Yes!And Merry Christmas to you and yours as well.
Susanne
You brought back the wonder with this simple post, Ellen. Somewhere along the line I lost the ability to simply “receive” and accept gifts – spiritual and physical – without questioning or doubt and wondering if I was worthy, that “unearned joy”. There’s a phrase to contemplate.
Ellen Morris Prewitt
I do resist the demarcation between the “religious” meaning of Christmas and the joy that all the traditions of the season are designed to bring forth. It’s all joy. I’m glad the post struck that chord of memory with you. And Merry Christmas to you and yours!