Happy Christmas

Christmas is the holiday we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  It's the time our family gathers here on Christmas Eve.  What we do has become traditions that the children look forward to and going to the 5 pm family service at church is one of the most loved traditions.  After, we hurry back home and have a Scandanavian smorgesbord dinner, honoring Bob's heritage and our time in Denmark.  Christmas morning starts early, with the opening of stockings Santa brought the children.  Then we eat breakfast, the girls say is the longest breakfast that ever happens.  Finally we begin opening of the gifts.  It starts in a very orderly way, one gift at a time and then soon becomes chaotic.  The children get hyper, the adults tired, but the celebration is most special.  Many of the gifts are homemade.  I love that.  One granddaughter got the point of it all, as she showed me an empty gift bag, she said, "there's nothing in there, see."  And then she said, "it's full of the best gift of all, love.  I love you, grandma."  She went from person to person doing that.  Christmas is all about love.  Love coming to earth in the person of Jesus, who we follow.  Love, here on earth, in all its unexpected, messy, chaotic ways.

Last Minute Shopping

This morning there was a break between rainstorms and so I headed out early to do my last minute food shopping before family starts arriving tomorrow.  I've figured out if one goes early, there aren't crowds, mostly.  I headed to the Berkeley Bowl, the best place in town to get fresh produce and got there 15 minutes before they opened at 9 am.  There were only two people ahead of me at the door.  Fresh organic chicken, perfectly ripe golden pineapple, sweet smelling melons, baby beets with greens, long English cucumbers, honeycrisp apples, Meyer lemons, bosc pears---the produce delights.  Then, I took the freeway to Costco which opens at 10.  I got a front row parking place and waited in my car for 20 minutes.  By the time I got to the door, I was shocked to see there was a crowd like at a football game.  Once the door opened, merging all the giant shopping carts took skill, but everyone, getting a leg up on shopping, was cheerful.  I knew what I wanted:  the Christmas roast.  I found it humorous that at the prime rib counter, there was a crush of white-haired grandmothers, each one getting the best and cheapest roast to be found.  The lady next to me bemoaned "the roasts are all so big."  They were and all cost well over $100.  "I found one for $85," she exclaimed!  Then I found one too and we gave each other a high-five over the roasts.  I realized I am not unique at all.  This time of year though, as I imagine all the houses with families gathering like here at our house, I want to take a moment to remember those who are sad or depressed or alone, those who don't have anywhere to go, those who can't afford a Christmas roast and especially those who are homeless.   Let the greatest blessing of love and peace go forth into the world this Christmas season to all people.  Let me bring blessings in big and little ways, by being generous and by sharing a smile and a wish for Christmas to those I encounter.

Preparations

It's hard to remember that the preparations are a part of the whole experience of Christmas.  Sometimes it seems mundane, sometimes it seems crazy.  Shopping for presents, writing cards, shopping for food (why is it I have to go to 8 different places?), cooking, decorating the house, going to church, cleaning, going to the library to get the granddaughters books to read........it's all part of the holiday and I want to remember this, so I can pay attention, keep calm and enjoy every bit of Christmas preparation!  We are so blessed to live in a peaceful country, to have enough resources to do what we want, to have the whole family coming to be with us and to have enough good health and energy to make it all fun.

Darkness

This time of year, the days grow shorter and shorter as the darkness comes early and enfolds us.  It is hard to find comfort in the darkness when there are so many dark things happening here and around the world.  I hesitate to mention Donald Trump's abhorent speech but what really bothers me is the base to which he is pandering.  Polls show his numbers haven't fallen.  Can there be so many biogoted, angry, fearful people here in the United States?  I guess so.  The darkness creeps and leaps in seeking to cover us all.  The Bible says that light is always stronger than the darkness and I believe that is literally and metaphorically true.  Let us find the light in ourselves and speak out, shining the light of tolerance, compassion and kindness to all people.

Huggelig

Huggelig (pronounced hew-gah-leigh) is Danish word describing a state of extreme coziness.  Last night sitting in front of a roaring fire with Bob and friends, watching the yellow, orange and blue flames, while a Christmas tree was being put up and decorated, it was hygellig.  I loved hearing the stories of each Christmas ornament as it found its place on the tree.  Winter cold, the dark and unseen scary things were pushed out and the warmth and comfort of friendship allowed easy conversation punctuated with times of quiet.  I was enfolded, held and greatly cheered by the hygellig evening last night.