Day Before

Call me crazy, but I love the day before the "Big Day".....any big day,  Thanksgiving, a birthday, in this case, Christmas. The anticipation is maxed out, I'm usually running around like crazy.  The girls are at home asking me a thousand questions.  Wayne is making me laugh by singing some silly song he has made up about that given event. In this case he is entertaining me with his Elvis version of Blue Christmas. I love the feeling.

The best part of the "day before Christmas" is spending it with Lynn and Craig.  I am thinking back to the first Christmas Eve I ever spent with them. I was dating Wayne.  So nervous to make a good impression. We went to their TINY house in Marietta and ate and laughed until we cried. I was in love, with him.....and them.

Through the years we have loved each other through every Christmas Eve. I don't really remember a year when we weren't together.  There were years that Wayne oldest sister, Patricia and her family joined us. Those are special times that don't come around to often, but mostly I love to think about the joy of Christmas Eve's spent together. Things like:

......The year I was pregnant with Ginny and threw up about 4 times on the way there.

......Bringing Pawpaw with us and getting in a terrible wreck on the way...and being so happy that next morning that we were all ok

......Matt getting  a "new truck" for Christmas. Wayne drove it from Eatonton and parked it at the pool house

......watching Chevy Chase "Christmas Vacation" and laughing until I cried.

......decorating ornaments.

......Shrimp chowder

......driving around looking at Christmas lights sitting in the backseat with Lynn and laughing, and laughing, and laughing.

......listening to stories about their mom, and wishing she were here, even if just for tonight.

......lining the kids up in front of the tree and taking pictures.

......watching Leslie, as a little girl, content to just be near Matt, but usually on him in some way.

......first Christmas meeting Christopher, watching him watch Megan, and knowing that this kid's a keeper.

......seeing the explosion of lights that Craig has created in the living room....kitchen...bathroom if Lynn will let him. Nobody loves Christmas like Craig.

......speaking of Craig and Christmas....his egg nog! :)

......laying on the bed with Lynn, laughing and talking while the boys hog the TV. Talking about what we got the kids, what we think the boys got us, and whether or not it will be a "sweatpants" kind of Christmas.

It's Christmas Eve morning. In about an hour Wayne and the girls will be up. We will load up and make our trek to Cumming.  This morning I realize that our Christmas Eve looks as different as our lives.  Matt and Megan have started their own lives.  My girls are almost grown.  It changes every year but it will always be about family.

There will always be Christmas Eve at Lynn's.  The kids and their family's may be there and some years won't.  There will be new babies, more stories of college and new careers.  New sons and daughters to bring home.  But there will always be four good friends, who happen to be family celebrating together.  Maybe  over Lynn's chowder, and maybe over Shoney's, but together.  Among God's blessings in my life, I am thankful for being  in this family.  I am blessed.