Every Little Thing
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved Christmas music. I have to stop myself from listening to it before Thanksgiving. I’d listen to it year round if people wouldn’t think I was nuts. So, I hold off. I refrain from playing it in March. I stop myself from playing it in August. But as soon as the turkey has been served, then it’s all Christmas music all the time.
Around the same time I start playing the holiday tunes, I also switch up our nightly bedtime routine. I sing to both my kids before they go to sleep. As I rock Cooper for a bit, I sing him Christmas songs. Normally I pick my favorites, since he doesn’t have an opinion about it yet. Shelby, on the other hand, picks the Christmas songs she wants to hear (usually “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”) and then I pick one I want to sing.
Though I love all Christmas music, I really love Christmas hymns, the ones I heard going to church every Sunday as a child. “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” is my all-time favorite, followed closely by “O’ Little Town of Bethlehem.” As soon as I hear either one of these songs, I feel instantly at peace. It’s as if I’m wrapped up in a warm, cozy blanket.
Today was a crazy day. Lots of work, Christmas shopping with my mother-in-law, school pick-up, homework, running, dinner … and the list just seems to run on forever. There wasn’t a lot of time to slow down or to reflect on the season. As I was driving home from school with the kiddos, I turned on my new favorite Christmas album, Come Let Us Adore Him, from The Lower Lights. All the chaos melted away. As I blared “Go Tell It On the Mountain” Cooper swayed in his car seat and clapped to the beat. And when “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” filled the car, I felt like my heart was going to burst. My eyes filled with tears and I didn’t feel so overwhelmed. The little things, every little thing, matter. When you peel away all the layers and get to the little nuggets … you are showered with peace, joy and grace. I pray I spend more time this season peeling away the layers, mining the little things.
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