'Twas the Night Before Christmas

... and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not our cat Little, not a mouse.
Clement C. Moore did a fabulous job writing this timeless holiday classic, and it runs through my mind every Christmas eve. No little ones hanging 'round the house these days (other than Avery's sweet face on occasion) but we are thankful for the adult children who share our home during the holiday season, whether it is for an hour, or a day... or a day early or a week later... it's all good.
We unwrapped our gifts this evening as we had dinner. It was fun to take turns gathering presents from under the tree and then handing them out to each other, watching faces as the paper is untangled from the packages and the bows are tossed aside.
It's been a good year, one of great joy and also one of great lessons. I feel I'm more humble, and more strong... more tolerant and more impatient... more loving over all. If I could come up with one word that was a theme throughout the past year I would say it is relationship... with my husband, my children, my parents, my co-workers, my sisters and my friends. How I relate with each of them, and how I allow myself being related to by them... it's all such a process... a lot of work, but also a lot of joy and even more wondrous awareness. Not all easy, not all pretty, but all of it necessary at one level or another... and all of it good.
'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and all through this house
is the love of our children, of me, and my spouse.
Our stockings are filled, set aside with great care
waiting for morning to see what is in there.
The moon shines it's light on a lawn void of snow
no luster, no shine of the stars heavenly glow.
Out here in the woods, there's nothing to clatter
but a dishwasher cycling through dishes and platters.
The tree, how it sparkles... the lights, how they shine
with the joy of a family, a love quite divine.
The trimmings, the treats, the ribbons and bows
the eggnog and date balls and what else, no one knows.
As we quietly spend time this years Christmas eve,
it's important to remember in what we believe.
So, be it Santa, or Jesus, or a full Menorrah
Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and a Lovely Kwanzaa.
I believe that Jesus Christ came to us here on earth, the son of God in the form of man... a prophet, a guide, an example of goodness, mercy, love and faith. I believe that Christmas is a time of celebrating all of that goodness, of mustering all the goodness, positive energy, sharing spirit, love and faith that we can find within ourselves. I believe we have the opportunity and the privilege to open our hearts and to share all of that with one another, with our families and friends, and with our communities... we have that chance every day in small ways... and at Christmas we have the opportunity to re-assess our priorities and make choices about how we will spend our time and resources for those closest to us, and to humanity at large.
I believe we are each given a good measure of talents and abilities that can make a difference in our world. We each hold a different and special measure of passion, and we can each mold ourselves and our corner of the universe so that it will benefit the greater good of mankind. If we don't use these personal resources, we run the risk of losing those talents forever.
"Twas the Night Before Christmas... a week before the new year... in what do you believe? Where do we spend our time? Who do we talk with, share with, work with?
Though not a fiddle tune, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' is indeed a seasonal classic, compliments of Clement C. Moore.
Merry Christmas, 2006.