It's totally different. Last year, there were only a few Christmas trees to be seen, no holiday music in the stores, no elf on the shelf, and no crazy shoppers standing in long lines. I missed the "normal" Christmas some of the time, but most of the time I was thankful.
And this year I am missing THAT Christmas. I, just like everyone else, got caught up in the busy moments, stood in lines at stores, spent hours cleaning for the arrival of guests (Ok, maybe I haven't done that but I need to get started!), and found myself stressing about things that Christmas isn't supposed to be about.
I miss the quiet Christmas.
I miss the birthday celebration of our Lord.
I am trying now to slooooow down. In fact, every afternoon, I run to the mailbox and then just spend a few minutes sitting and looking at Christmas cards, usually with a cup of hot chocolate or afternoon decaf coffee in my hand. I didn't get any cards last year. Well, in December at least. I had a few friends mail them to Cambodia and I received a couple in the spring, one in May right before we left, and a few that didn't make it at all before we left.
I love the Christmas cards! I love it every year, but especially this year after not hearing from so many friends last year.
(This is just one of my 4 sections of house dedicated to displaying the cards)
So thank you! Thank you for sharing your Christmas photos and letters and cards with us. It truly is appreciated, and probably my favorite part of this Christmas.
And from the Schiffmans:
They were late going out and if you want one and didn't get one, email me your address, because I probably lost it!
To my friends in Cambodia:
Send me your addresses and I will send you one, too! It will be a neat experiment to see when (or if) you actually receive it!
We are so thankful for friends and family all around the world.
Let's all try to slow down and show others how much we love them.
That'd be a great birthday present for Jesus!
Merry Christmas!
