The Thrill of Hope

I have to admit that this Christmas Eve I was NOT in the Christmas Spirit. Call me a Grinch or Scrooge if you'd like, but I was just not feeling the idea of checking off the boxes and saying we'd yet again completed the Christmas rituals--rushing to be with family, leaving with plenty of time to spare of church, sitting through yet another Christmas pageant (which, indeed, was just as painful as every other year), rushing home, eating dinner, playing games, leaving cookies for Santa, reading Christmas stories--all to be in bed by 9:00 so we can wake up before dawn to open presents...whew! And unfortunately, my mood was not improved while sitting at church and watching person after person (ADULTS, no less!) whip out their iPhones and take pictures and recordings during the service. I kept thinking to myself, "Is this really what Christmas has come down to? How am I supposed to worship in this kind of setting? And where in the heck are those peoples' manners? That's just plain disrespectful. I just can't get into the Christmas spirit--all that waiting during Advent, only to be let down, here on this big night, Christmas Eve."

Then, this morning, after waking up at 6:45 (thank you, Leslie, for holding Mason off until then…), I could feel the excitement and anticipation that was moving about the house. I always love spending Christmas Eve with my niece and nephews. Don’t get me wrong, the rest of the family is great, but you have to admit there’s something magical about waking up on Christmas morning to the sound of children anxiously waiting at the top of the stairs to see if Santa came. Emma, Mason, and Ben could hardly contain themselves—the look of wonder in their eyes, the hopefulness that they had indeed been good enough for a visit from St. Nick. Ben was beside himself with enthusiasm—he kept saying, “I hope he came, I hope he came, I hope he came!” As they rushed down the stairs to open their gifts, I couldn’t help but smiling. Despite moments of being “naughty” throughout the year, these children were nice enough to receive a gift—and seeing the joy in their faces made the magic of Christmas come alive.

I couldn’t help of thinking of the Christmas Story as I was watching the scene unfold. Were the shepherds and wise men like Ben? Were they overcome with excitement at seeing the star above the City of David? Were they motivated by the thrill of hope? And when they reached Jesus, did they realize just what a precious gift they were actually being given?

And so, here I am at the close of Christmas Day, finally in the Christmas spirit. The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder brings a new and glorious morn. Jesus is born this day, and for that we can join in with the company of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”