The Sweetness of Christmas – By Betty Predmore

With two sets of children in my family, four biological that are all grown and out of the house and three adopted who are still in school, life can get crazy at my house when they all get together. Sometimes the laughter flows and the giggles reign, and my mama heart is filled with gratitude. Other times, the bickering can be heard two doors down and I get frustrated at my crazy, blended brood.

Christmastime is a special time. It seems that everyone is typically in a merry mood and the bickering is usually at a minimum. The “wall of hostility” comes down and we are a large, blended, slightly dysfunctional, amazingly loving family.

Oh, how this blesses my heart! The peace that flows through my home as we gather around and enjoy our favorite family traditions is such a blessing to this mama. I thank God for these moments of tranquility when no one is trying to outdo, aggravate, or overrule the other.

I thank God that He has blessed me with these precious souls who love stronger than anyone I know, and who cherish our sweet Christmas traditions as much as I do, even when they do call me a “cornball” for most of them.

My girls have beautiful voices and I love to hear them sing. One of my favorite Christmas hymns is Silent Night, and I love to hear them sing with no music, just their beautiful voices, raised in harmony to our King of Kings.

This is a part of a sweet Christmas tradition that we have. We all pile in the car with our jammies on and some popcorn, then we drive around looking at Christmas lights and singing Christmas carols at the top of our lungs. What a sweet, sweet time this is and I cherish these memories deep within my heart.

I also cherish my family gathered around our big ole farm table, praying together, and enjoying a feast of goodness. This is such a time of sweetness for me, as I sit back and soak it all in, knowing full well how quickly time passes. Today’s celebration quickly becomes tomorrow’s memory.

The privilege of these moments is not lost on me. The birth of so long ago is not forgotten. The sweetness of that moment in that stable is what allows me to experience these joyous moments in my home, with my people.

There is nothing sweeter than the gift of family, and there is no sweeter time to be together than when we are celebrating the birth of our Savior.