A short narrative of Christmas... My Christmas.

It's 6:30am Christmas morning.  You wonder why you don't hear your little sister squealing with delight downstairs.  You roll over and peer down from the trundle bed at what appears to be a snoring lump, but it's hard to tell through the early morning light.  It's the kind of light that has some rays of the darkness from the night, but is slowing deciding to lighten up into morning.  You reach down and feel the lump. Yup, it's your little sister alright, sound asleep on Christmas morning.  So much for her boasting the night before about how early she'll rise!  How typical of her.  Well, I suppose I'll have to wake her up.  After all, no one is allowed to sleep in on Christmas! No one!  You stumble out of bed and start jiggling her awake.  Her eyes flicker open, and with an expression of confusion, delight and sheer excitement, she leaps to her feet.  She takes your hand and starts pulling you down the hall, down the stairs, and takes a quick stop to awaken the guinea pig Phineas, after all, no one is aloud to sleep in on Christmas, no one!  Down the next flight of stairs she pulls you, but you don't resist the pull of her hand, no, you go most willingly, for you too are filled with excitement.  The kind of excitement that only Christmas morning can bring.  After examining everything under the tree, you run to the fire place and look to where you hung your stocking but lo what is this? No stocking do you see!
Your eyes wander to the bottom of the fire place and you see five stockings all lined up.  Too heavy with loot to be hung on the designated pegs on the mantle.  You give a contented sigh and wander back to the living room where you plop down on the couch and... you read until everyone else finds their way to the room with the warm glow, and the brightly colored presents.  You then hear a roar and you know your oldest brother just arrived in his sweet ride.  By that time, your sister has already opened her stocking, but you like to wait for everyone to gather around on the couches.  Afterward, it's time to get ready for the morning church service.  When you come home, everyone starts the preparations for dinner, and once everything is cooking, you settle back down with the family to hand out the gifts you bought for them.  Your ears are filled with the sounds and exclamations of happiness, thankfulness, and glee.  The rest of the day is filled with the happiness that family brings to you.  That night some of the brood go to the movies to see War Horse.  What a good movie it was!  The clock reads 1:00 am and you can't believe how late the movie got out.  You start looking forward to a good night's sleep.  As you crawl back into bed that night with weariness,  (the kind you get from spending the day laughing, smiling, tearing paper off of gifts, and eating an enormously delicious meal) your mind is playing back the day and you give a shudder of contentment.  You start to whisper your prayers in the dark and you thank God for the greatest gift of all.  His son, Jesus Christ, born that we might yet live.   "Aahh it was a good day", you think just as your eye lids close and you fall into a deep sleep, not to awake from until 11 o'clock the next morning. : )

~ Lydia Catherine

Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ ... to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ!  — Romans 16:25-27