Christmas Spirit

Todd and I went on a date last night.  We've been talking for weeks about how we want to drive around and look at other people's Christmas lights.  Todd has been sort of...competitive (?) about it this year insisting that our lights are the best lights on the whole street.  When I point out other lights on our street that look very nice, he comes up with all kinds of reasons why ours are better.  So - we decided we wanted to drive around and take in the festivity around us.  We figured that if that didn't put us in the Christmas spirit, nothing would.  We were not disappointed.

I come from what, for the sake of this post, we will call "Christmas Lights Royalty."  My mom is the Queen of Christmas lights.  Every year her yard is decked out with tons of lights and lit up Christmas figurines.  Her love of lights has been passed down to me, and while we've dialed back our own lights in the last couple of years (the first year we were here we did the trees in the front yard - a task that had me standing in the middle of the street for the better part of a half hour, and then saw half the lights burn out before Christmas) I'm constantly finding new ways to light up and make our house cheery and festive.

What we saw last night puts our own efforts to shame.  It was spectacular.  On a tip from Todd's brother we headed to a nearby small town.  Most people have seen the videos of the house lights set to music, right?

The first stop we went to were kind of like that.  Set to music, the lights were choreographed and it was just so fun and festive and somehow, completely tastefully done.  Out in the middle of nowhere, it was a drive-thru experience with no admission but for the optional donation to the local ambulance crew.  As Todd said "If this display of festivity and generosity doesn't make you feel the Christmas spirit, nothing will."





Unfortunately, I was unprepared for all this, so I only had the camera from my phone handy.  The pictures don't even come close to doing it justice. 

In any case, we made two more stops after that, another one  - all lit up with a small section of choreographed dancing Santa lights...

and then, my favorite -- a lit up Nativity set on a barn.  Again, these pictures don't do it justice.  It was so tastefully done, so beautiful in all white lights.  It included the wise men, camels, sheep, and of course Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.  The main house was also all lit up.  It was spectacular and breathtaking and we went away feeling completely touched by it.

In all, it was the perfect way to spend Christmas Eve, Eve. 

Tonight we will gather with my family for church and - one of my favorite traditions - the Christmas Eve chili.  Santa will come, we'll open presents and spend one of my favorite nights of the whole year doing one of my favorite things - laughing and celebrating with family.

We're still hoping for an adoption Christmas miracle, but we know that's coming in its own time.  Perhaps next year it will be our child whose eyes light up at the lights and presents and music.  Perhaps Christmas morning will be our family of three, instead of our family of two opening stockings and exchanging gifts with each other.  Perhaps next year we'll be able to introduce our child to the joy and complete chaos that the holidays mean for us, the two things that make us love them so much.  We're storing up traditions and activities that we want to share...when this baby comes, he or she is in for a wild, wonderful ride!

Merry Christmas, everyone!  God Bless!