Twas the night before Christmas.....

And all through the house, the Christmas lights have been turned off and we are all tucked away for the night.  I still remember those Christmas mornings as a child where once the sun shown through our bedroom windows us kids were up and at it.  There was an aire of anticipation on those Christmas pasts. One year my sister and I slept in our basement and peeked in all of our gifts, only to "re-wrap" them so no one would ever know.  Another year, I numbered all my gifts and proceeded to shake all of them and write down guesses of what they might be.

I looked up at the stars tonight for the first time in a very long time.  I am out of the city and back in my mountains where I belong.  The cold air filled my lungs, but it had the definite smell/taste of mountain air. I had to wonder what the sky looked like the night that Christ was born.  If the air was full of anticipation as if the world knew that the Man who was about to change history was being born.  I have to wonder if Joseph was outside of the manger, pacing and looking into the night sky, trying to figure out his next move.  His wife was about to give birth to a Divine Plan in the most regular, ordinary barn.  I have to wonder if he was scared or nervous.  And what about Mary.......she was only a young girl.  Was she afraid? Did she ever look back on her pregnancy and childhood and wonder how she ended up in that manger that night, giving birth to a King. 

A divine plan, a prophecy fulfilled was given to the world that night.  

Resist the urge to get carried away with the holiday.  To forget that the prophecy is still true today.  Choose to forget the events of the past month and celebrate a day where the world slows down , gathers around a dinner table, a Christmas tree or a pile of presents.  

Merry Christmas....enjoy the day and the moments.  Enjoy the smells, sights and feelings of the Christmas day.  

And to all a goodnight.