It’s Christmas time again.
I wonder if this year, instead of toys and electronics, Christmas lists are full of words like connection, family, assurance, security, hope, love. These are the things that we unnoticeably receive along the course of a year when going out for a cup of coffee with someone we just met, when sharing popcorn over a movie with friends at the house, when planning a baby or a wedding or a graduation with excitement rather than crippling uncertainty.
We barely notice it, but normalcy is bathed in hope.
After a solitary year for many, this may be the most anticipated Christmas ever. Different than previous years, this Christmas doesn’t promise expensive gifts or lavish parties. Instead, it promises company, laughter, the sound of cooking in the kitchen, of late-night conversations, warm pajamas. A little bit of normal. Of ordinary.
We’re not the first ones to forget that there’s nothing ordinary about the ordinary. Long ago, the most expected birth ever came and went by with only a few people and animals to notice it. What was just another baby crying became the most revolutionary birth of the history of the world, Jesus, the Light of the World.
So, this Christmas, enjoy the wonderfulness of the everyday! The little bites of hope we receive when we spend a lazy afternoon connecting with our loved ones without worrying about the impositions of the clock. Take in the wonder of life and love. Be grateful and don't loose heart or hope, for the most expected Christmas ever already came. A long time ago. It is the hope we're all yearning for.
I wish you a very merry Christmas! May your hearts be warm. <3