Peace

Christmas Time

What comes to your mind when you see or hear those two words?

For little children it's most likely big colorfully wrapped boxes holding inside them something they've been begging for all year. For more mature youth, such as teenagers, they've hopefully figured out that Christmas is a time for giving, and they start giving out presents to all of their friends and family. For the adults with children of their own, the first things that come to their mind are probably those of chaotic shopping, putting up decorations, and more. But they know that Christmas time is for time spent with the family and for Christ, and it really is.

What comes to my mind when I hear those two words?

Peace. Soft peace. Just feeling comforted, warm, and feeling loved. That is what I think of first when I think of Christmas time. I don't get much of this time to myself though, mostly because of my over excited younger siblings who are so eager they just can't control their actions and often run around the house screaming who knows what and playing with their new toys. Don't get me wrong, I love my siblings, but many times I wish they could just calm down and enjoy the peace of Christmas.

The night time is my favorite part about this holiday. Maybe not particularly on Christmas itself, but on days leading up to it. Christmas Eve is always my favorite time. We go, as a tradition, to our grandma's house for dinner, for the puppet show nativity, for the reading in Luke, and later in the night, she always has a new Christmas book that she reads us. By the time we're finished at grandma's house, our family piles into our car all bundled up in blankets ready to head home. I can never predict how the drive home is. Sometimes it's quiet, peaceful, and I can think clearly about things. Other times it's hugely chaotic and nobody can stop talking, let alone fall asleep. But those times when everything on Christmas Eve is quiet are the times I cherish. The one thing that I can think of comparing it to are the times when you're just sitting in the temple with no distractions or nobody talking around you. That peace that just flows so freely and smoothly through your body, and the knowledge that everything is alright, no matter what you're facing, is the peace that I think of when I think of Christmas time.

One of my most favorite things about Christmas is the music. Not the jazzy "Jingle Bells" or "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas," but soft music that just makes tears come to your eyes, although you can't explain why they do. Piano music is my favorite type of music to listen to at this time of year, just because it's such a powerful mood setter. For instance, when I listen to Christmas hymns like "O Holy Night," or "Away in a Manger," it's just so beautiful for me. That is, if everything else around me is still and quiet. I love listening to arrangements of these types of hymns without words, just so I can choose to sing along in my mind, or just let the flow of the notes take me away.

Now, don't think that just because I wrote this long blog post about how I love the quiet solitude of Christmas means that the only thing I enjoy about Christmas is that. No! I love everything else that comes with it! The family gatherings, the presents, the birth of Christ, it's just that the thing that I most enjoy about this holy holiday is the peace that so gently flows with it. The peace that surrounds everybody on this time of year. The peace that allows us to forget our troubles and our problems, and to let us feel loved and comforted. That is the thing I most look forward to about this time of year.

Peace