Almost Christmas!

Barbara gave me the best Christmas present, early! She reminded me of Pandora where you can create your own radio station(s) and listen to music of your choice while you're on the computer. So I'm sitting here doing my usual computer stuff to the sounds of Christmas. And not just that, but lots of the beautiful chant and classical music that really puts me in the Christmas spirit. It's a much larger variety than I would have if I played all of our Christmas CDs!

This is wonderful because I've been growing increasingly frustrated with the "holiday" offerings on the real radio. Songs that are about winter, but not Christmas. Songs about breakups occurring over Christmas. Songs that have nothing to do with Christmas except the word "Hallelujah".

Thankfully, the penitential season of Advent is almost over. Have you ever noticed how if you don't prayerfully plan Advent or Lent, God plans it for you? Sometimes He alters your plan despite your best intentions.

I've spent a lot of time since Thanksgiving making gifts, and shopping, and decorating, and baking. In addition to the usual demands of taking care of a large family (which is funny, because I no longer think of my family as large---more like medium-sized!) and homeschooling. I've tried really hard to do the baking on days we were home and not busy. I loved my knitting and sewing projects. I truly enjoyed the time I spent making things for people I love. There were a few failures, which I won't bother to enumerate, but they were also lessons learned.

I did my best not to overwork myself, and I thought I succeeded on the one hand. OTOH, I've been an emotional wreck in the last week and a half that is unusual, even for emotional me. I'm sure there is more to it than just stress.

It's the 2nd Christmas without my Mom, whom I would have called nearly every day to share my triumphs and tribulations over projects.

MoW and I gave a talk on the Sacrament of Marriage to the RCIA class last week. Preparation for that involves more than putting notes on paper; it always involves a big test of our marriage! Thanks to the grace of the sacrament, we emerge from it closer than ever, but it's still a strain.

And sugar is evil. It does terrible things to me and my moods.

Now I'm looking ahead. The Joy is beginning to creep into my soul; I can see a glimmer of Hope as we prepare for the birth of our Savior tonight. I can't wait to sit in the church and sing carols and participate in the Midnight Mass. I look forward to celebrating Christmas for the next month or so.

Merry Christmas, everyone! May the blessings of Christ touch your hearts this Christmas season.