i’m going to get up with taido tomorrow at church and this is what i am going to say. at least, i hope it is.

i experience joy at christmas through children. there is a verse at the end of malachi that says,

he will turn the hearts of the parents to their children,

and the hearts of the children to their parents

i have always loved that verse. i envision this time when we see the children around us. when we can hear their hearts. when we have made room for them in our day.

i think at christmas our awareness of children is naturally heightened. our hearts are turned toward them. so it is a season of opportunity for me to enjoy children like i believe God intended. like this verse describes. this year i have really intentionally tried to slow things down around our house so that i have more time to snatch these moments of joy with my children. some of the ways we do this at our house have a lot of meaning to them. we have an advent calendar with scripture readings that we read in the mornings before school. we have a toy nativity the older kids have used to teach the christmas story to simon, our youngest. that they are doing this is a confirmation to me that we have taught them that this story about jesus is one that we tell over and over again. it is a part of who we are. this story. i love to watch them hold the angels singing or the wise men traveling.

there are other things we do that might be less meaningful, but that are still sweet moments to see the joy in a child at christmas. we spend a lot of time baking and preparing food. i love that anticipation of cookies in the oven. are they ready? are they ready? or a request to lick the frosting off the beater. is it time? is it time? we drink special hot chocolate, with candy canes. and when i hand a child that beater, or their cocoa cup or their cookie or i sit on the floor with a child and read a story or hear one of my children tell about the baby jesus in the manger, i drink in their little faces. i love them. my heart is turned toward them. and it brings me great joy.