Christmas Time is Here

December 20, 2010

I’m listening to Christmas music right now but Christmas feels so far away.

This week my mind keeps wandering to my family’s Christmas traditions.

Cooking lobster or turkey with the whole family. Getting dressed up in my fancy Christmas dress. Eating a candle light dinner with the German mobile spinning in the center of the table. Driving to church late at night watching the brightly lit houses go by in silence. Seeing old friends who’ve moved away.

Hearing the story of His birth, part by part in the darkened church. Singing hymns that I know by heart between each passage. Watching the candle light pass down the aisle one by one while we sing Silent Night. Raising our candles at the last verse illuminating the dark stained glass windows.

Walking to the car bundled up in dresses, tights, and coats. Driving home in silence. Lighting the fire and sitting in the living room around the tree. Passing out gifts and taking turns opening them one by one. Playing board games until everyone goes to bed.

I went to our Catholic iglesia the other night with my family. The church is small and old. It is one large room filled with handmade benches and decorated with lacy cloth and paper cut outs of doves. It’s lovely and warm. My favorite part is the two gigantic palm trees outside. We don’t have a priest but members of the congregation lead la celebración every week.

This week they had a posada. It’s a time to get together and sing Christmas songs in preparation for Navidad. It’s a nice tradition but I couldn’t help but feeling out of place while everyone was singing. The whole time the only thing my mind could focus on was trying to remember the scripture verses that tell the story of Jesus’ birth.

When I got home I pulled out the Bible that the previous volunteer happened to leave here and poked around until I found those familiar verses:

“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.”…“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”…“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.”…“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

I love that written words can be so comforting and make me feel like I’m home. I wonder if the authors ever imagined the power their words would bear hundreds of years later.