Friday, December 25, 2009

the eve of the big day

It's officially Christmas, but the family isn't up yet. Just me and Eli, with an average early waking, and my dad, with a sore back and a too-much-junk-food-last-night bellyache (for the record, I have one, too).

Christmas is different this year. Not just because I'm exchanging my Santa-excitement for Eli's, but also because I'm thinking of Christmas as a mother this year. I'm thinking about Jesus's mom and how she traveled with a big old belly and swollen feet. I wonder if she whined as much as I did at the end. I'm thinking about the feelings she felt as she held her little baby. I teared up a little at the "mother and child" lyric in Silent Night at the Eve service last night. What did she think when she looked down at her little one, knowing all he would face?

I wonder if Jesus was as good a baby as Away in a Manger makes him out to be or if he was more like Eli. I wonder if he slept through the night right away. I wonder if he hit all his milestones on time. Did he walk at 9 months? Did his mother clap proudly for him when he stood up by himself, just like I clap for Eli?

We'll be celebrating that baby soon, and mine, too. And at the risk of losing you by totally switching gears, here's Eli with Santa. We'll teach him the real meaning of Christmas, but the twinkling excitement of Christmas can stay as long as he wants to believe.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

He is looking at Santa with such wonderment! :)

myfriar said...

Shannon, this is one of the BEST baby pictures I've ever seen with Santa!!

I also had all the same thoughts and emotions with my son's first Christmas...he was a wee 2 months old and I had a whole new appreciation for Jesus stepping off His heavenly throne to become a baby....all for us...it's a totally new perspective, isn't it?!

Merry Christmas, sister!

JHopkins said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
JHopkins said...

Awesome picture! I love it! Is he the real Santa? I might look at him the same way :)