Christmas

Christmas Time 2009
This Christmas season is going to be a little hard on me. I haven't been away from my family for Christmas my whole life. My family always opened our gifts on Christmas eve and we would have a "big" present on Christmas morning waiting for us under the tree. During the day on Christmas eve my sibling and I would do whatever we had to do. (I don't remember what we did during the day). At night we would eat our dinner and then go Christmas caroling to all of our pastors houses from church and then to our grandparents houses. After we got done caroling we would come home and get ready to open our gifts. Now there are six kids in my family, so we either started youngest to oldest or oldest to youngest. When you add my brother-in-law into this for me it didn't matter what direction we went because I would have three before me in either direction. After we all finished opening our gifts we would be sent to bed for the night and we were not allowed to leave our rooms at all. After we were in bed my parent's put gifts under the tree for us. These present's were never wrapped, but we all knew which one was for us, not because our stocking with our names were by them, but because they were gifts that we really wanted. After we got done with our Christmas morning routine we had to get ready to head to a family Christmas in the afternoon. And that would be our Christmas holiday.

When I meet James and it came to Christmas and what we were going to do was actually easy for us (somewhat). Our first Christmas together as a couple was the first time I was going to meet his family. We had been together three months almost four. I came home from college for Christmas break and I lost my voice (such a fun way of meeting your boyfriends family for the first time) Since my family opened our presents on Christmas eve it made it easy to be able to go to James mom for Christmas day. Here's the fun part I lived in Michigan and James' family was in Illinois. That first Christmas we opened gifts at my house and then left shortly after since there was a snow storm coming and it was going to get worse if we would have waited for early morning. Christmas Day is my mother-in-law day. She makes a big Christmas breakfast for everyone and then we open presents. After we open the presents James and I would head over to his dads for a little bit. While we are at his dads his mom is started to get stuff going for Christmas dinner. When we get back to his mom's we would just wait until it was time to eat or we would help if she asked. Our first Christmas together really changed our relationship. Here's a little back story:
         James had already felt called to and was planning on going to Alaska. I on the other hand had no clue what I wanted to do. That whole first semester I prayed, read my Bible, and listen to the speakers in Chapel. (I went to a Bible college). Our relationship moving forward or ending was pretty much in my hands. Let's just say that is some really heavy burden to have on you for a whole semester while your in a long distance relationship.
Okay, back to the story. We were at James' mom's on the couch taking/ cuddling and I told him that I would be willing to go to where God was leading him too. For me I always loved Christmas not just because we get to open presents, but because we celebrate the day of Our Savior's birth. Now for me Christmas is extra special to me because that is what moved our relationship forward. So every year after that; okay so it's only two years that; we still got to celebrate Christmas with our family.

This year we are in Alaska. We will most likely be celebrating Christmas with James' aunt and uncle and their children. I know I will miss my family especially since this Christmas my brother and wife and son are heading up for Christmas from Georgia to Michigan and I won't be there. They have not been at Christmas the past two years and we had to Skype them. This year I don't even know if I will be able to Skype since our computer sound like to go in and out and I never know when I will have sound. This Christmas is also going to be hard because I don't even know if I will have my own place to decorate for Christmas. I love decorating for Christmas. I'm struggling because I love my family and I love Christmas and I just wish I could celebrate with them, but this year has been a year of first for me since I been up here in Alaska. I know I will survive because I am with my husband and not only that I will have family yes they are my family by marriage, but they are now my family. I love the fact that I can call them aunt and uncle and I feel loved by them and by their children my cousins. I also know that God will get me through this just like he has done with every other thing that I have missed back home. I will survive this being so far from home and have Alaska becoming my new home. 

Comments

  1. LynnNovember 20, 2011 at 7:56 PM

    You'll be here in our hearts<3 Your where you are suppose to be and for that I am very proud of you. Following our Lord is much better than your self. Love ya Rebecca Lynn hugs and kisses. Tell James I still miss his fires :-)

    ReplyDelete

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