Thursday, December 25, 2008

Thoughts on Christmas

I'm about to do what's become a midnight on Christmas Eve tradition - watch Meet Me In St. Louis on Turner Classic Movies.  I'm not sure how this would rate with most people as a Christmas movie, but I think it's become my favorite.  Even though Christmas only figures in part of the movie, just the whole theme of family, wanting to stay close with loved ones and friends, and being thankful for what you have is really what Christmas is all about.  

On the religious side, I went through a period in my life where I really got disgusted with organized religion.  But since I was raised in the Methodist church, I had started thinking I might be interested again when I met Jav.  It just seemed very natural to convert to Catholicism when we got engaged.  We attend pretty regularly now, and I have grown to love it again.  Something about standing with a large group, all singing together and praying together just touches my soul like it never did before.  I feel so good taking Gabriel with us, and he has already learned to behave himself pretty well even at his young age.  He LOVES the musical instruments and singing.  Each time we attend, it sort of recharges my battery until the next time we go.  I'm not sure how much of the scripture I actually believe, but I understand the moral teachings and want my child to have that background.  We had a great time at the family Mass tonight (the children and youth put on the whole thing with a Nativity pageant), and will attend the very special midnight Mass again once Gabriel is a little older.  

We had a wonderful time at Jav's parents for dinner and gifts and lots of merriment.  This year was even more special because Jav's sister has a boyfriend she's been dating for a year now, and he brought his two daughters (Grace, who's 12 and Elizabeth, who's 7) to spend Christmas Eve with us.  I hope we can start to get to know them more and more.  

And I have Gabriel all worked up over Santa coming tonight.  When I told him this morning that Santa and his reindeer would come, and come down our chimney and fill his (lovely) stocking and put toys under the tree, he replied with a very serious and slow, "Wow".  I read The Night Before Christmas to him for the first time tonight just before putting him to bed, so hopefully visions of sugarplums are dancing through his head right this very moment!

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