Blogger: Rachel Kent
A Christmas tradition that I love is one that I now believe was established by accident and out of necessity. Every Christmas, my parents would have the children wait in the hallway with the door closed before telling us to come out to see what “Santa” had brought us during the night. Now that I’m older, I know they were using this time to make a pot of coffee, light the fireplace logs, get the video camera charged and do any last minute wrapping–but for all of those years, it was a lesson in patience and built the anticipation of Christmas morning. Christmas was all the more special because of that wait.
The minute that we were allowed to open the hall door, we would all rush to the stairs. Seeing the tree and stockings downstairs was magical. It always looked like the entire living room had been transformed. Writing this makes me want to find those videos from each year to look at our facial expressions.
We would all find our spots around the tree, and then my dad would read the Christmas story from the Bible and we’d place baby Jesus in the manger scene before starting in on opening the stockings and gifts.
We still do Christmas this way with our children. Those of us who are in town gather on Christmas morning at my parents’ house, and we make the kids wait in the hallway. Those of us who aren’t getting things ready wait in the hall with them. We know the waiting made Christmas extra special for us, so we hope they feel the same way.
Do you think that the waiting you experience in your publishing journey (or in life in general) could be God’s way of making your blessings extra special when he sends them your way?
I think that anticipation is a tool that God uses throughout the Bible, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he still uses it in our lives today. For example, the Israelites anticipated the promised land while wandering in the desert, and they were anticipating the Messiah, too.
How has anticipating something in your life made it extra special when the event occurs?
When does your family open gifts? Christmas Eve? Christmas morning? Christmas night? Is there a tradition like mine in your family?
Good for you, Rachel, teaching your children to wait. In this instant-everything era, that may be a lesson lost for too many–and not just Christmas presents. Think of waiting across generations: the Hebrews in slavery, the Jews longing for the Messiah.
“In the fullness of time.”
“It came to pass . . . ”
Lord God, teach me to wait graciously! Amen.
Good morning all. Rachel, thanks for this post and the beautiful visual you created by capturing in words the joyful anticipation on Christmas morning. I would say of just the children, but somehow I think the adults are also caught up in excitement as much or more because they anticipate seeing the joy of the children. A shared joy. That is how I see it when an author, agent, and all those involved in the publication process are on a book launch day. So much leading up to the longed for event–something once a dream me has materialized, all the more appreciated and celebrated because of the work..and the waiting.
We opened our gifts in the morning when I was a child, and we do the same now. We first honor the Gift of all gifts, and then take turns as each person unwraps a gift. Round and round the circle we go as each precious gift is opened and we all, oo and ah, and celebrate. There is something special in taking turns, and learning to appreciate the gifts given to others as well as your own.
This year, the gift I am anticipating the most is the life of my sister.
Thanks so much for the wonderful post Rachel. My sister opened her eyes this morning, recognized me, smiled and reached out to touch my face. My heart is full of a God trusting anticipation.
Elizabeth, how wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing the good news! 🙂
Thank-you Andrew.
Oh my, yes. The waiting will make the “big reveal” all the sweeter when it comes to my writing.
My kids all ooennone gift on Christmas Eve – a new set of Jammies from their Grammy. They get to wear them that night. Christmas morning, they must also wait in their rooms until a certain time (allowing coffee to brew and cameras to be readied) before they can come down and open stockings, etc.
God has set before us a banquet and a test; will we look forward impatiently to the serving of each delicious course, or will we realize that the waiting interludes of conversation with our fellow-diners are the seasoning that gives the courses their flavour?
Oh yes! Exactly Andrew!
How sweet, Rachel. Yes, we have those same traditions with our girls. But my purpose was a little different. I usually have everything ready the night before, but on Christmas morning, I’d wake the girls, get them dressed, and fix their hair … all for pictures. 🙂 Had to have presentable pictures for years to come. So yes, I can see the wait in publishing to be similar–God is grooming me to be presentable, I pray. A little adjustment here, a big adjustment there. For years to come.
Rachel, I love your family tradition! When I was a kid, my brother and I would exchange our gifts on Christmas Eve and then do the rest on Christmas. I loved it and have continued that tradition with my own children. I didn’t grow up in a Christ focused family so I didn’t do this as a kid, but now we have some great traditions. We let the kids open their stockings when they first get up and we are waiting for everyone to arrive. Then as a family we read the Christmas story, eat breakfast as a family, and then the present unwrapping begins. The patience is a huge deal, although tempered a little with the stockings. Depending on if my parents have gotten there before or after the kids are awake we will do the Christmas story before stockings. Love Christmas. And yes, God uses the waiting in a mighty way. He has impressed upon me lately to wait and just wait, but wait expectantly. This post was right in line and made me smile. Thank you.
What a lovely tradition. Thanks for sharing, Rachel. Not being a patient person, that wait is really hard–in life and in publishing. It was definitely worth the wait seeing my first book in print.
We open one gift on Christmas Eve and then the rest Christmas morning after putting baby Jesus in the manager and singing Happy Birthday. I’ve tried eliminating that Christmas Eve gift once or twice, but that isn’t happening. 🙂
The waiting does make special events sweeter. I remember being told I could open a present on Christmas Eve and being horrified! I’ll have to remember that as I go through the many different kinds of waiting on the publishing journey.
It’s a great thought…waiting. I recently wrote a blog about the blessing of waiting. I agree that as we wait, we’re preparing for the event if it does come. And if it doesn’t, we learn in that as well.
Thanks for these thoughts, Rachel.