Christmas

We bought our tree a few days before Christmas.  My husband kept fiddling with it before he was finally happy with the tilt it took. My children put up the ornaments which were mostly from last year's advent devotions and promptly worked on creating more.  Soon old baby toys and wooden beads became transformed with yarn and hung with care. We hung pine cones and there were new paper chains and holes punched in various origami animals. And the children made the beaded candy canes that they had learned from our local Montessori school last year.

Near the last week of Christmas, I finally  pulled out the ddukbaegi and added advent activities. One of the activities was making a cranberry garland. This was also added to our tree. The children wanted to have presents under the tree like their other friends. I encouraged them to make presents for each other. Soon many household items and books disappeared and there were many wrapped packages under the tree, tied with red yarn; most addressed to mom and dad because Santa might not give presents to adults. Ha!

This Christmas, I saw our children excited for Santa's visit (they were so excited to see a candy cane in their stocking instead of a tangerine this year! I think they loved the candy cane more than their actual gift!) and overflowing with generosity. The oldest made origami for all our neighbors while the other little ones helped me bake cookies to distribute to our neighbors. I saw the joy in their faces as they invited these neighbors to their Christmas program and the hope they had that everyone would know Jesus.

Do they understand the true meaning of Jesus' birth? They know he was born poor so he could understand all kinds of people. They know Jesus is the answer to God's promise long ago. But even I have trouble grasping the love of our Father who sent his one and only Son into this broken and dark world. To think that Almighty God wants to be our friend. He wants an intimate and close relationship with us. And that all he wants is our love. And the best present I can give to my children? To be truly present in the moment that I am with them. Not distracted or annoyed, but listening and understanding with an open heart. To heed the overwhelming calling to be a reflection of His love.

Merry Christmas!