A different kind of Christmas warmth…

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… or not.

In my corner of the world—northeastern Indiana—while we don’t always have snow for Christmas, we’re accustomed to cold weather as the days close in on the yuletide celebration. This December, however, has been unseasonably warm—almost ridiculously so—leaving us with absolutely no chance of a white Christmas.

Many moons ago as we celebrated our first December 25 as a married couple, the mercury hit a record high of 64 degrees accompanied by a very high “low” of only 55. I was incredibly bummed as I tip-toed around mud holes in the foggy, rainy/drizzly conditions. I felt cheated of the joy of my favorite time of year.

I guess I’ve matured over the years because, while I’ve oft repeated in the last couple weeks how “it doesn’t seem like Christmas time with the weather being so warm!”, I’m not bummed. Actually today as I hit the grocery store and begin to cook and rearrange the furniture to accommodate 40 people in my living/dining room area, the weather is the least of my concerns. I’m bustling with fun ideas for entertaining each age group, with special attention to how to fit in each of the looked-forward-to traditions as our time together this Christmas Eve will be a bit short due to work schedules. As family from out of state are unable to make the trip this year, we’re hoping to include them in the festivities via an online connection. Better than not “being” with them at all. So, yeah, there’s much more important things to consider than the weather.

Oh, I love the look  of freshly-fallen snow blanketing the ground, and a chill in the air does make it feel more like Christmas. Should we wake up on Thursday and/or Friday to find the weather predictors got it all wrong, I wouldn’t complain. To be greeted with a white Christmas would be very nice. But I’m not counting on it. Nor am I wasting even a second on wishing for snow or cold.

And once the group arrives on Christmas  Eve, I’ll forgot about the spots on the family room carpet that refused to disappear despite repeated scrubbings or the even-shabbier-than-last-year kitchen cabinets that we’d hoped to have replaced by now. Nothing will matter except being together to celebrate GOD’s greatest gift to mankind—HIS son born in a manager, destined to be the Saviour of the world. Our hearts will be filled to overflowing with the warmth and joy of CHRISTMAS. Oh, I can hardly wait…

What about you? What are you most looking forward to about CHRISTMAS this year?