Christmas 2012

I absolutely adore Christmas time.  I adore it so much, in fact, that my Christmas season begins on November 1^st every year.  I love the music, the baking, buying presents, watching Christmas movies, and just the overall feel of the Christmasified world.

This year, I have had difficulty getting in the Christmas spirit.  I will admit, there are only four days until Christmas and I am not quite there yet.  Sure, I have instances of Christmas bliss, but something always happens to pull me back to my reality. 

My reality is that there are presents for a little girl missing from underneath the tree.  My house is minus one tiny stocking.  My loved ones are suffering from aching hearts that only time may heal.  My reality is that every time I hear a song mentioning the Christ-child being cradled in loving arms, I am reminded of the sweet little niece I held closely for a few precious moments.

She is never far from my thoughts, and it is remarkable what little things can remind me of her.

Remembering her is not the hard part; on the contrary, I remember her sweet little face fondly and find myself smiling whenever I see her pictures.  I welcome the reminders because they make me feel closer to her.  No, the hardest part for me is seeing those I love hurting.  The fact that they are hurting makes the ache already existing in my heart so much worse.  There seems to be a slight haze hovering over each burst of sunlight.

I know Evie is happy and safe, happier and safer than she would have ever been down here with us, but it does not make me miss her any less.

I find myself wondering what exactly Christmas is like in heaven.  Do they celebrate Christmas up there?  Is there a huge birthday cake for Jesus or something?  I can’t even begin to imagine how awesome the Christmas lights and decorations must be up there.  And how cool must it be to hear the Christmas Story from Jesus himself!

And now, to bring this post to a close…

"Life is made up of meetings and partings. That is the way of it. I'm sure that
we shall never forget Tiny Tim, or this first parting that there was among us ..."

-Kermit The Frog as Bob Cratchit

We will never forget you Evie Caris, and we look forward to someday spending our Christmases with you in heaven!