I had really high hopes for Christmas Eve church service and all of our "traditions". I love Christmas traditions and I love making them up as I go. I am a pretty stuck in my ways and not-flexible on so many things that I have really surprised myself in how we do Christmas. I thought I would do Christmas like I did when I was a kid. But I do very little of those traditions. I love our traditions now and the way we do them.
The week before Christmas, I started listening to Christmas music. Silent Night is one of my favorites. Christmas Eve church service is one of my favorite times of year. The candles and Silent Night at amazing. I had dreams of sitting in the church pew with Calvin on my lap and Laci sitting beside me reading along in her Bible the Christmas story as they read the Scriptures. We would sing together. We would hold our candles high together. What dream world am I living in?!? Christmas Eve was nothing like that.
Charlie volunteered to usher that night. I had to sit in the church pew with both kids by myself. My kids don't normally go to church services and are not used to it. Laci went to church with us the day before and she is just now at the point where she can sit quietly and color or listen for an hour. Calvin is not there at all. Laci wanted to sit in the second row down front. I hate sitting that close. But the church was filling up so everyone was sitting down front. We ended up being crowded in a pew with a couple for our small group and their parents. Calvin was on my lap. He did okay for the first 20 minutes coloring in his new books. Not coloring books but coloring quietly in his regular books. I emphasize quietly so I allowed it. But after about 20 minutes, he wanted to run up and down the aisles. I gave up and took him to the back. Charlie was nice enough to take him from me so I could sit back with Laci.
Laci can't read the Bible yet so of course she was not following along in the Bible as they read the Scriptures as she did in my dream. But she did sit there very quietly and stood to sing with us at the right time. At the end of the service, as they were getting ready to light the candles, I went back to get Calvin again so Charlie could help light the candles. I went back to my seat, held my baby (I mean, big boy), hugged my little girl and we held candles high and sang Silent Night. At least I had that moment. That moment was enough to salvage my perfect Christmas Eve.
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