Day 1176 - Christmas Eve

What do you do the day before Christmas?

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I write this on a very hot day at the NSW South Coast.  We take it in turns spending Christmas between both sets of parents and this year it is Langdown's turn.  That means Christmas at the coast with a house full of people, dogs and fold up beds.  And Christmas eve being spent on the beach. There is no white Christmas here (unless you count the sand).




Our day has included a sleep in, assisting in food preparation, time on the beach, unloading a bunch of special gifts into a secret place away from little eyes, a 7.00am shopping trip to the supermarket before chaos sets in and now it is time to get ready for Christmas Eve Mass.

It's just my parents*, my two kids and myself that attend church. Derek's family do no have religion in their life.  I don't have a lot of it either mind you, but it is part of my family heritage which deserves to be honoured. When my children complain and ask why they have to go to church when their cousins don't I tell them it is part of their family history. It's a time to say thank you to those who came before us and to show gratitude for the year we just had.  It's a time to think about the wonders of life and visualise their future.  That's what prayer is - it's a time to meditate, hope, visualise, and say thanks.

When we get home it will be a carefully mastered charade of getting children to bed, with security guards in place to ensure Santa has an easy and uninterrupted entrance to deliver his stash.  I will stay awake for much of the night in anticipation.  I will also be the first out of bed and may even start making noise at around 5.30am to get people moving.  Christmas morning is definitely of the seize-the-day variety.

What do you do on Christmas Eve?

Whatever you do I hope it is safe, happy and hopeful. 

Merry Christmas! 

*As an only child my parents are with me every Christmas whether they are hosting or we're travelling to Derek's family.  It's nice that they can be with us every year.