Countdown

Am I experiencing the expectation of Christmas? Why else do I wake up and stay awake after only five hours’ sleep? It reminds me of when I was expecting my babies. An inner excitement made me get up and stitch on baby clothes. All mothers can relate to Mary, especially those who have babies around Christmas time. One of ours was born three weeks before Christmas, and another only a week before Christmas—my best Christmas presents!

Now I have a granddaughter who may be going into labor with her first child. The doctor said it could be a Christmas baby! His middle name is to be Nicholas, since that is his father’s middle name, but how apropos!

Or maybe I’m just beginning to feel the “Christmas spirit”. Up to now, I had felt rather neutral about the approaching holiday. True, I had spent most of my emotional energy on our great Thanksgiving family gathering, so Christmas seemed like an anti-climax. But yesterday things changed. Beginning with the weather.

After days of dreary, unpleasant, cold mist and rain, we woke up to a day of bright sunshine and crisp temperatures. A perfect day to explore shops downtown and browse in unhurried luxury, since all my preparations have been completed. The explosion of color and cheer from bins overflowing with the latest toys and intriguing, ingenious gadgets and playthings were a boon to my spirit.

Then, near the rear of a gift shop, I noticed a clearance table. My husband and I fingered the novelties, exclaimed over an unusual dish or gizmo, and were moving on when I spotted something I loved! A bright, hand-painted wooden checkerboard, looking like the antique ones I had always coveted. It wasn’t antique, of course, but it had lovely stylized birds and flowers painted in folk art at each end. It was half price and looks lovely on my shelf!

A special church service last night left me in a tender Christmas mood, and a couple of days after Christmas I will see my sister for the first time all year. I’m also looking forward to seeing my son and his family from North Carolina again, having seen them all-too-briefly at Thanksgiving. Our Christmas menu has been made, guests are coming and the joy of little ones will permeate the whole house. How can I help but have the Christmas spirit and be pregnant with expectation?