Celebrating Christ(mas)

Golda awoke early to sing her Christmas praises in a choir program in church. The choir's offering was beautiful and it was fun to see Golda's face as she took in all the meaning of the songs she was singing.

After church we gathered around what my four-year-old godson, Alex, called a "crackling fire" to give gifts to the children on the King/Bazail side of the family. It was a warm and wonderful party. I had not looked forward to our planned activity of going to see the lights on Temple Square, and the crackling fire made me less inclined to brave the cold, but we all piled in our cars and drove downtown just in time to see the lights come on. The temple looked serene and beautiful against the lights, and the kids were reverent (or half-frozen) as I told them about being sealed to my parents in that temple when I was nine, and of being married there. Walking around the foggy temple grounds, along the gorgeously lit pathways with family, I was grateful that we had bundled up and made the effort to celebrate the season in that way. I'm so glad I didn't miss it.

It was that feeling that motivated me to go back out into the cold for the Messiah sing-in after we returned from the lights. My dad was the only one up for going with me. The Messiah is so uplifting and inspiring that it wouldn't feel like Christmas without hearing it at least once. Plus, I got to hear a story from Dad about how he broke a glass sacrament cup as a child in the tabernacle. When I got home, with the Hallelujah chorus ringing in my ears, the rest of the family was watching a nativity movie. I think they all went to bed feeling peaceful and awed by Christ's birth. "Seeking after the Christ Child" can be accomplished through musical praises, by visiting holy places, by feeling the love of family. I'm grateful to have had all of those opportunities today.