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What a wonderful time of the year. The school semester is over, the kindergarteners have all gone home, and our church programs went great. However, there isn’t any snow. Emily and I got to go home to her parent’s place for Christmas this year, its just feels so much more like Christmas when you’re with family.
Christmas Day started out with us searching for a parking space at 5:00am as we made our way to the airport to fly up to Ohio. Then after 9 hours of travel we were finally greeted outside the terminal by Don and Karolyn and little Noah.
The whole family was gathered at the Pfeister house and they had all waited to open presents and eat Christmas dinner until we got there too. Then later that night the Flunker Family called from Wisconsin and they all passed around the phone to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
I discovered that although the frenzy of buying presents and toys can take sometimes take the joy out of Christmas due to our culture’s emphasis upon materialism and consumerism, its really very special to give and open all those presents with family on Christmas Day. I think there is a degree to which our remembrance of Christ’s nativity is shared better with family when we celebrate Christmas.
We give gifts partly because its tradition, but also because many years ago an angel appeared to a young Jewish woman and announced that she would soon bear the best gift. We give because our God gives.
This was also my first time to really meet my little nephew and niece, Noah and Maggie. I have to say that Noah is the cutest little guy ever. He’s always so excited about life and discovery, and Maggie is beaming with smiles and always crawling toward adventure. I could listen to being called “Uncle Ryan” all day long!
What a wonderful Christmas time. Each night we would gather up and play some crazy board game until it got too late to think (I say that because the girls team always seems to win). It’s really just so great to spend this time of the year with family, even if there still isn’t any snow.