A Light that Draws a Circle

In January of this year, I tried to read as many books by Bess Streeter Aldrich as I could get my hands on.  One of those that I was able to find in our local library was Journey into Christmas and Other Stories; and although I was one month past Christmas with 11 more months to go until the next one arrived, I merrily read the book anyway.  In the story "Suzanne's Own Night," I read these words:  Christmas Eve was a white light that drew a magic circle around the members of your own family to hem them all in and fasten them together.

"Yes," I thought.  "That's it.  That's why I love Christmas Eve so much.  Our words and actions, our traditions and celebration, our peace and joy--they do hem us in and fasten us together.  Just our little family.  Together."

Traditions - like our habit of letting the boys open one gift on Christmas Eve.  This year, we gave them each a sleeping bag, their very own camouflage mummy bag.  The other three sleeping bags we have are literally as old as I am--seriously, they are the ones we had when I was a kid.  I'm sure I slept in one of them when I was three years old and got the chicken pox and, being a generous soul even at such a young age, gave it to all of my siblings, and we camped out together in the living room to recuperate together while my mother rocked in the rocking chair and read books to us to keep our minds off our suffering.  But I digress...

The boys were all very excited (almost all the pictures I took were blurry because they were jumping up and down with joy!) about their sleeping bags and, conveniently, got to put them to use right away.  Since this is the night they get to sleep on the floor by the Christmas tree (another of those traditions that unites us as a family), they unrolled them and tried them out immediately--first, for a little reading time, and then, for sleeping.

Ever since we were newlyweds living in San Diego, we have opened our doors on Christmas to others who would join with us on that special day.  Christmas is for welcoming friends and extended family into our home and enjoying the eclectic assembly that results from the mix of personalities and backgrounds.

Ah, but Christmas Eve!  That belongs to us.

Tonight my heart is bursting with gladness because my little family is here together.  The circle--with Christ at the center--is still unbroken.

That's the best gift of all.