Christmas whisper

Seriously! 2 weeks until Christmas!! Wow. This year has been filled with a lot of crazy ups and downs. All of which at some point will probably be blogged about...
One of the "ups" though would have to be experiencing the holiday season with a 2 and 3-year-old excitedly taking in all of the sights and sounds of Christmas. There is everything from seeing the lights around the neighborhood and the girls screaming, "oh it's beautiful. Look Mama, it's CHRISTMAS!!", to the smell of cookies baking and the girls wondering what this wonderful treat is and peeking through the oven glass at the cookies rising and browning right before their eyes. Not to mention the barrage of Christmas specials on a bit too late for sleepy-eyed little girls. But for me, this so far, has brought the most meaning and joy to my heart.  Let me explain. Matt and I have allowed the girls to stay up for a few of our "faborites" and Charlie Brown's Christmas takes the cake on the Holiday shows. I love that it's about the real gift that was sent that very first Christmas. I just love everything about it. The scripture reading. The play they put on. The song they sing. Even the significance of the empty branched Christmas tree but how lovely it looked anyway.                                                
All of that to say, when my sleepy-eyed little girls watched Charlie Brown's Christmas special there seemed to be something that touched their little hearts. Rachael in particular. And interestingly enough, Sammy does the "monkey see, monkey do". But I'm pretty sure she caught something about the heart and spirit behind it all anyway. When the credits were rolling and the last line of the song was being sung by the characters, Rachael crawls up in my lap, takes my face in her little hands and whispers, "Merry Christmas Mommy" and lovingly kisses me. I melt. I say Merry Christmas back to her through tears and then my sweet Sammy (who is hard-core, hard-shelled most of the time) comes over and does the exact same thing. Little hands on my face, seeing that I'm already teary, she whispers, "Merry Christmas Momma" rests her head on me. What treasures, what gifts. 


THIS my friends is the best I will receive this Christmas.