Layers of Christmas Joy

Christmas time is upon us. Tomorrow the calendar tells me that winter will be officially here. The last few months have been so intensely busy that I have hardly had time to contemplate the rapidly approaching celebration followed by the closing out of the year 2010.

Even with the busyness, we have been adding layers of Christmas joy one by once since Thanksgiving.

Klep and Anne put the tree up after most of our group had left for home. I spent "Rivalry Saturday" decorating the tree while I enjoyed the last big day of the college football season.

Decorating our tree is a trip through the forty plus years we've spent together. We remember the December trip to Okinawa in 1969 when we place the rattan angel atop the tree. We smile over the faces of our sons on homemade ornaments from their elementary school days. We laugh to see the little gingerbread men made by Erbia, a dear friend in Niceville. The wooden soldiers bring memories of our neighbors Carolyn and Ken. Others remind me of my teaching years as I hang ornaments given to me by students who are now successful adults. Our tree is not a designer tree and there is no theme other than the theme of our lives over more than four decades.

The next week we cleaned and polished and assembled and baked as we prepared for our open house. My mother arrived early on the afternoon of the fourth laden with boxes of homemade divinity and platters of blond brownies. She loves to be here as it all comes together, helping cut bars and set out food. She also enjoys a sneak sample of the goodies to guarantee that they are ready to eat, especially the sweet and sour meatballs.

Friends Diane and Niece Pam are also early arrivees. Every party needs people ready to don an apron and help play hostess. Other friends trickled in until we had a good group ready to sing the old favorite Christmas carols in the hall. The children added a special layer of joy with their playing in the yard and then in the room set up for them as the evening darkened into night. As Marky was leaving, he told us he would soon be out of school and would like to come and play.

Our next layer of joy was the day of shopping I spent with my friend Ginger as we covered Tallahassee, finishing our outing at a delightful little Italian restaurant, Bianca's. Good food, good conversation, and good laughs are all a part of Christmas.

We spent another evening singing carols at the Christmas supper at the Deas farm. Sunday evenings we spent practicing the church cantata which culminated last evening with our presentation and church party. The church was beautiful as one of our young man played Silent Night on his guitar. The simple beauty of the melody floating through the darkened room was a poignant reminder of that silent night over two centuries ago.

This afternoon, two of our young neighbors from just up the street are in the duck room (Kevin's old bedroom) entertaining themselves with our vast store of Legos. I sit here in the hallway for a few minutes and listen to their happy voices. They are marvelous children, the very essence of Christmas joy.

Later today our first Christmas guest, Anne, will arrive. That will be another happy time adding to the layers of joy that make up Christmas.

The joy of Christmas will continue to build through the week. How could it not? We will spend Wednesday night visiting with our grand girls and their parents, enjoying the sweet sound and chatter of little girls.

Friday will be Christmas Eve. All day a sense of expectation will be with us. We will have a family meal and then we will gather around the tree and Klep will take his father's Bible and read the story of the first Christmas from the Book of Luke. We will sit together and enjoy the moment.

Christmas Day will have more family, more food, more games, and more moments of joy as we experience the uniqueness and the tradition of this Christmas, layer on layer of joy.