Twas the Day After Christmas

Merry Christmas to all! Yesterday we had a lovely day following our usual Christmas traditions. We all woke up early--I mean 5:00 a.m. early. So, by 6:30, all 7 of us folded ourselves into the Volvo and headed out to the Santa Barbara Missions where we enjoyed a beautiful Christmas morning sunrise, visited the live manger, and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.

By 8:00 a.m. we had made good work of all the presents and the house was filled with nothing but empty boxes and balls of wrapping paper.

Ciza is enjoying his new digital synthesizer

By 10:00 a.m. Abel had finished off at least 3 bags of candy!

After breakfast we experienced some virtual technology, and invited John and Dori to join us on the sofa for a chat.

Then we headed off for a Christmas walk on the beach. It was a gloriously sunny day. Dale and I were reflecting that we don't recall one Christmas in Santa Barbara that wasn't brilliantly sunny. A beach walk is always part of our Christmas tradition.

We ended the day at Sherlock Holmes with Dale's family; it was dark and comfortable, and I got to catch up on my sleep with a long two hour nap in the back of the theater.

Then back to Swanson Acres for some leftovers and Wii competition with the boy's new games. And at the end of the day, Abel said, "Mom, you know what was my favorite present today?... My plane ticket to Hawaii and my robe."

Then, good night! We all went to bed full of good, family memories of Christmas 2009!

Something New

This has been the weirdest Christmas season for me. I've broken all my little routines--my "Amy traditions." Here is my personal list of Christmas rules and deadlines

Rule #1-- ALL Christmas gifts must be purchased by Nov. 15th

Rule #2--All gifts must be wrapped and properly stored in hiding places by Thanksgiving

Rule #3--Christmas cards should be ordered by Sept. 30

Rule #4--All Cards will be stamped and mailed on Dec. 1

Rule #5--Christmas Eve and Christmas morning brunch menu planned and purchased before Dec. 1st

Rule #6--House lights up before the 1st weekend of Dec.

Rule #7--Design at least one Christmas craft for kids to accomplish for grandparents

Rule #8--Make fudge and jam for all the neighbors

This list of priorities is important because shopping and fretting over food items and material details just ruins the Christmas season for me. All of you who know me, know what a holiday Scrooge I am. It goes against my nature to "go with the flow" or to follow cultural traditions just because it's expected. Don't get me wrong--I love the reason for celebrating Christmas. I just don't always appreciate the methods. But this Christmas I have had a very, very different list of priorities and I'm just trying to scramble around and make sure my kids each have at least a couple gifts to open by Christmas morning. That's about all I can manage this time around.

Our role as pastors has imposed upon my Christmas routine. My new list of priorities this year includes:

1. Plan and produce a Ladies Christmas Brunch for New Life Church by Dec. 12th

2. Cook a 4 course meal for the church staff and elders by Dec. 18th

3. Prepare our church family Christmas celebration by Dec. 20^th

4. Produce the perfect New Life Church Staff Christmas card (it took two photo sessions!)

5. Clean house and prep for church open house by Dec. 22^nd

6. Prep for Christmas Eve service at church by Dec. 24th

No wonder I haven't finished my Christmas shopping, wrapping and cooking. No wonder I haven't even ordered or sent out Christmas cards this year. No wonder I haven't made any gifts for our neighbors yet this year. But there is joy in the new routines, for certain; and a different kind of satisfaction. In previous years I measured my level of "Christmas joy" by how much I could avoid the shops and malls and enjoy all the more special celebrations. This year, I'm the one in charge of the celebrations for everyone else! It hasn't been exactly "relaxing" but there is a different kind of satisfaction that comes by helping others create their own special moments. Shops and Malls? Not even on the horizon. Except I will have to join the crowds at least one day this week so that Ciza can have something to open on Christmas morning! And all is not lost. Abel loves to cook, so I'm sure I can entice him to do some baking for our neighbors this week. You might even find a Christmas card in your mailbox--but don't be surprised if it arrives a couple days after Christmas!

Graduation Already?

Last night Dale and I attended Nizi's Ignite graduation. This marks her half way point through college and the completion of a whole year of intense study and life-transforming service in our Foursquare Ignite program. We had three young men and women from our church graduate with Nizi from the program. Now she's home for a month and will then continue on to complete her BA at Life Pacific College in Jan. I'm so proud of the young woman Nizi has grown into. She's smart, vibrant, full of life and ready to launch in to the next step toward adulthood!

Lizzy, Jared and Nizi--Proud Ignite Grads

A Little Sunshine

I don't like rain--not one bit. I need the sun. I crave the sun like I crave chocolate or late night snacks of cheese and crackers.

This week, it's been raining for three days. When you live in a dry climate, like Santa Barbara, that only receives about 15 inches of rain in a good year, a little rain puts everyone on edge. Our yard is a soggy mess; the chicken's feather's are drooping; there are clots of mud all over our patio and porch being tracked into our house by careless boys. But today turned out to be a warm, sunny day. And I felt the sunshine deep in my soul--there were good things happening all around me.

I gave birth this weekend. Yep, I had a baby--metaphorically speaking, that is. For the last few months I've been conceiving this little idea--a ladie's Christmas brunch at our church. You might think, no big deal. But for me it was labor. The labor of planning, the labor of decorating and the labor of designing every detail to bless and love the ladies of our church. And yesterday the baby was birthed--a little wrinkly and smooshed around the nose, but beautiful none the less... Ok, so maybe I'm stretching the metaphor a little too far, but I did feel a kind of long and elated exhaustion after the event was over.

And at the end of the day, a closing comment from Abel. Driving home from a late night party, he subtely asked, Hey mom, you know what I always really wanted for Christmas when I lived in Africa?. Sigh#* What honey? (I'm tired of hearing the "What I wants" for Christmas). Then out pops this little bit of sunshine,

"A mom and dad--and you and dad are the perfect Christmas present."

Sniffle, sniffle (that's me in the front seat with a tear welling up in my eyes).

Wrestle Mania

I asked Ciza to pose for me today in his cool new wrestling singlet. He said, "Mom, don't put these pictures on Facebook," and I said, "Oh, I would never do that!" But I didn't mention my blog.