When I was a child my family went to my aunt and uncle’s house for Christmas Eve. My gift to my uncle was always candied orange slices and to my aunt, cream filled chocolates. Of course, I didn’t pay, just picked them out. The evening was the only extended family time I ever had growing up. This evening was always special to me as a child. I was expectant, hopeful, and okay a bit anxious that I had been good enough to get presents. It did not help that my loving brother reminded me often that I needed to shape up. And, at the end of the evening we had to hurry home so I could be in bed before Santa came to visit.
Again, my brother would tease me by saying that those lights in the sky were Santa and I wasn’t going to make it home in time. Talk about childhood angst! Our house was in the flight path of the airport and the lights were so low they seemed to hang over our house. Now, to be fair, my brother loved me deeply, but he was 8 years older than I so you just know he was being a teenager at the time. And, a further truth was that it did a lot to enhance the excitement and expectation.
The eve of any special occasion is a time of excitement, expectation, and a bit of anxiety. It depends on the occasion. Easter, birthdays, Christmas, weddings (like the upcoming one of my baby) are all reasons to be excited and expectant. But, the eve is also a time to remember why the celebration is important. And that is the problem of my childhood. I never really knew the importance of the day to come. Yes, I knew of the Christmas story, but it had no real meaning for me.
It was not until much later in my life that I began to understand the reason for all of the celebration and hopefulness. That is very sad to me, one of the failings of my childhood. I wonder how I would be different if I had learned about the real reason for the season. I think that is why Christmas has become so important to me. The wonder of it ALL. The toys, presents, the lights and that one little life that is being celebrated.
So, to all who are eagerly expectant on the eve of any occasion, I want you to experience all of the feelings and hopes that go with the coming of the next day. But, take a moment to remember why the next day is important to you. For Christmas, the return of light to the dark world. A birthday, the thankfulness of having had another year and the hope for a better coming year. Whatever the day, live the entire day out fully. Feelings, emotions, thoughts and hopes, have all of them, relish them (even painful ones). There will never be another day like it.
TMM