Christmas Sunday

One of my favorite things about the Christmas season, is Christmas Sunday.  The kids dress up and pose in front of the tree for pictures.  Except this year, I had to get all the kids ready by myself for 9:00 church.  With Scott's new calling as Elder's Quorum president, he has meetings every Sunday before church (starting at 7:45), so I have to get the kids ready by myself each week.  I did my best to have everyone ready on time, and then paused for a few minutes to snap some pictures, before rushing out the door.

We got to church, and the fighting between the kids started instantly.  The Christmas Sacrament meeting program is always my favorite - very little narration mixed in with beautiful Christmas musical numbers.  Scott was singing in the choir, so for most of the meeting, I was trying to manage the 7 kids on the bench by myself.  It finally got bad enough, that I had to take half of them out into the foyer.  I sat out there, so frustrated that I was missing the whole program, when I had looked forward to it all year.  Scott came out into the foyer and said, "The primary is singing!"  I rushed Owen back in and up to the stage, to join the singing, but Sara (who had been out in the foyer crying), refused to go up to sing.  The whole Sacrament meeting just was not a happy time.  Fighting kids and a very frustrated mom.  It ended, and we all headed off to primary. 

In primary, the chaos continued.  Our ward has the tradition of acting out the nativity, complete with costumes.  It's a lovely idea, but results in pure chaos in trying to get all the kids into the right costumes. 

We finally got all the kids in their costumes, and began the program (narration and singing).  The primary president handed me a script, and asked if I would read every other page.  I agreed, and the program started.  The primary president read her page, and then the kids sang a song.  It was my turn.  I started to read.  And then, that moment that I had needed all day, happened.  That Christmas calm that I had been craving, hit me.  I read how Mary brought forth her first born son, and laid him in a manger, and I broke into tears.  It had been one of those days when I wondered why I ever had children. And then these kids (three of them mine), enacted the nativity, and everything seemed right again.  It all began with a sweet mother and her newborn son. It was exactly what I needed at that moment.

Of course nothing ever stays perfect for long.  Aaron threw a fit over which gift he had to hold as a wise man, and decided to wear his head piece over his face.  His sweet patient primary teacher fixed it for him. 

Senior primary (Josh and Sara) were equally sweet acting out the nativity.  I was so thankful for the spirit that all these primary kids brought for me that day.