Christmas came and went in a flash, didn't it? I have to admit I was having a hard time getting into the "Christmas spirit" this year. Maybe because I am too tired. (I haven't slept the whole night through but twice since the middle of last January.)


On Christmas Eve we went to my in-laws house so that all of the grand kids, my two children included, could open their presents. It was nice. My son and my nephew were both enjoying their first Christmas. They always play with the television remote at my in-laws house so both of the babies received toy remotes. My daughter received some nice clothes from her grandparents. I enjoyed watching the children having a fun time, but it still did not feel like Christmas. I thought maybe I was turning into Scrooge. It seemed like any other day, save the presents part.


At midnight, Christmas morning, the NBC station here aired the Midnight Mass from the Vatican. I watched the entire broadcast and by the Eucharist, tears were rolling down my face. I realized I had been trying to catch some spirit named Christmas when all along I should have been searching out the spirit of Christ. Ultimately it is not about trees and decorations and presents. It is about a child who was born to show humanity a better way. Not only that; we, because of his life, death and resurrection are able to become part of him. We are invited to partake and become part of his body. I am invited to become part of the love and creativity of God. Its amazing. It makes all the other "things" we do during Christmas seem so trivial. With this in mind I determined to focus on the important things and truly enjoy the season.


Christmas day was spent at my in-laws, again. We ate turkey and dressing. I was happy for my mother-in-law, especially, because she was able to spend the day with all four of her sons. After we went home that evening we opened presents at home. The baby was especially fond of a music box that he received and my daughter was excited to have a digital pet. (Evidently it is a stuffed animal that allows one to have access to a virtual world of stuffed animals.) Also on Christmas day I was able to see a friend of mine that I had not seen for a year. It was wonderful. We had both had a baby this year and I enjoyed meeting her baby girl and introducing her to my baby boy.


The following day, Friday, I drove to my Grandmother's house to spend a couple of days with my side of the family. My husband came in late that night because he had to work. It was so nice to see all of my family. My aunt and my cousin had not met the baby yet, so it was extra special. My dad was there as well. He usually has a hard time coming to visit anyone because of his work schedule, so it was really great that he made it. It has been a while since the whole family was together like that. On Saturday we opened presents and ate turkey and dressing. I thought about the most important thing about the "spirit of Christmas"; the love of God. I see the love of God in the faces of my family members. When we love, we are participating in the divine. What a wonderful gift from God. I am so happy to receive this gift; I am so happy to give it.

I remember when I took a family studies course in college that we talked about the Nature v. Nurture Theory. You know the one; do people behave in certain ways because they are genetically predisposed to or because they have been modeling parental behavior? I think most scientists in this field agree that it is probably a combination of the two. (Remember those studies done on identical twins separated at birth?) I say all of this because I was watching the baby today and began to ponder this theory. The floor in the living room had several of his toys for him to play with but where does he go? Straight to my bookshelf! He loves books, and not in the ordinary 'books are good food' baby way of loving books. He will pull them off the shelf one at a time and carefully look through them. I had previously assumed he like looking at the bright pictures in his own books, thus explaining his affinity. This is not the only case. He will look through my non-illustrated books with the same interest. It is fascinating to watch him and wonder, Nature or Nurture or some of both?

It is so cold outside. It is 32, but the wind is quite a bit colder. Yesterday the cold front blew through. It was beautiful. There was just a little rain around five thirty. The sun was low in the sky and there was a double rainbow, (just a reminder that the earth is truly lovely.)

My daughter is prepared for the front. She is wishing for snow. I'm afraid it will not happen this front. In the spirit of the cold, however, she decorated her door. It is so neat. She did it all by hand, without scissors or any tool. She is so creative!

The baby is not fond of the cold. He is always fighting being covered, trying with all his might to get out of the blankets. This was not the case today. He stuck his hand out of the blankets I had covering him when I carried him to the car this afternoon. He whimpered and pulled his hand back in. That wind was like nothing he has ever experienced. I'm glad we bought him a heavy winter coat last week. Its a bit too big for him but he will be warm. I have to admit, though, he looks a little like the kid from A Christmas Story!

Every parent loves to brag about their children and I am no exception. Yesterday I was going through the pile of graded work my daughter brought home from school. About three times a week her class is assigned to make a list of words that conform to a certain rule. They are just to write words that come to mind without the help of a dictionary or any other source. It is intended to get the children thinking. The list I read in the above-mentioned pile contained words that ended in "ist." Remember, my daughter is in the third grade and is eight years old. Here is her list:

List

Cartoonist

Tourist

Geologist

Violinist

Neurologist

Scientist

She did not misspell anything. I am impressed.

While I am bragging let me not forget to mention that the baby, for the first time, stood alone the day before yesterday. He was holding onto the chair I was sitting in and he started to play pat-a-cake with me. He was so focused on clapping his hands he forgot he was not holding on anymore. He gasped and grabbed the chair again. It was so cute!