Christmas Eve 2013

One challenge we face is how to carry the Christmas spirit throughout the year.  We see so much goodness in others as we receive their gifts of kindness and as we reach out to others, some who we only see during this time of year.  The spirit that flows from those connections and acts of service is cause for great celebration.  While impractical, if not impossible, to maintain the Christmas celebration throughout the year we certainly can carry and share that same spirit all the year long.  
But as with anything that goes on for a long time, it is easy to forget the Christmas spirit once the reminders of the decorations, parties and calendars are gone.  Out of sight and out of mind is not just a simple saying.  The stowing of the decorations and the removal of the tree send a strong message that Christmas is over.  And most of the time when things are done, they are done and we leave them aside until it is that time again.  
Christmas Eve provides a perfect opportunity to reflect on how we can keep the Christmas spirit throughout the year.  Christmas Eve can sometimes be the very best part of Christmas.  For on this Eve we experience the culmination of all of the expectations that might be Christmas.  We have hope for the things we might receive.  We sincerely wish that the gifts we have given will be well received.   But because it is not yet Christmas and the event has not yet occurred we can fully experience the joy that comes from the possibilities.  
Whenever we are thinking forward to what is to come and we are so doing with anticipation rather than dread, our lives are full of hope.  As a child the sense of wonder was so rich and palpable that it would keep me up at night until I dropped off to sleep from sheer exhaustion.  As a parent, I remember the joy I felt as a child as I wait for the last child to fall asleep so that I can welcome Santa into our home who can share a bounty for sleeping children to find when they awake.  
But Christmas comes.  We celebrate we open gifts. We visit and we play.  Then we are done.  It’s time to clean up.  It’s time to put away.  The Christmas spirit can slowly wane. But there is something that I say every night that reminds me of the Christmas spirit and can keep me from losing it as January comes.  
Each night as our family goes to bed we say, “Good Night.”  In Spanish, Christmas Eve is La Nochebuena or The Good Night.  Christmas Eve is the Good Night because of all of the hope it brings.  So just remember every night when you say “Good Night” that a little bit of Christmas has stayed with you that day and all year long.  
Christmas Eve, a day truly full of joy.
Merry Christmas and Buenas Noches.

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