The church we joined many years ago was having their first Christmas Eve service since 2019. The pandemic had made it impractical for 2020 and 2021. Last year the cold weather and a broken furnace canceled the service. The last few years have been hard on that congregation, but it was nice to do something again from the "before times."
Our three year-old, however, was not as enthusiastic. They handed out a piece of construction paper and crayons at the door. That was a good move, as it kept her distracted for about ten minutes. We discovered that we had managed to bring a hungry kid to an hour-long service, so it was a small miracle the meltdown wasn't worse than it was.
At one point, they had a children's story time up front. I let her out of the pew and she sprinted down the aisle. Samantha and I looked at each other before deciding one of us should probably follow her just in case. That proved wise. It may be just a bit before we attempt a regular Sunday service.
Saturday we went to see The Nutcracker at TPAC. Really good show. We only got through to the first intermission before the child again decided it was time to go. She was into it at first, but not enough to make it another 45 minutes. We'll likely go a again when she's older.
Her enthusiasm for getting things out of her Advent calendar and asserting that today is Christmas (even when we try and explain there were still a number of days left) is heartwarming. In a handful of hours, she'll experience Christmas morning by getting up and out of her room on her own. I wish I could live more vicariously through her sense of wonder and excitement.
It has been a tough year, but we remain extremely fortunate. The world writ large is having a much tougher time -- two major wars now dominate the news. We've learned the hard way that the child picks up on what's going on even if we're not explaining everything that's on the nightly news. I have that strong desire to try and shield her from all that's bad in the world, but I know it's impossible.
Our hearts are full this Christmas season, even if our heads and bodies are rather weary. My prayer for you all is that you find peace, love, and joy this holiday season.
From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!