Our Merry Christmas

Today our Christmas was spent at home.

All our celebrating with our families happened earlier this month, so on a day when we are used to being somewhere else, we spent it in the coziness of our own home.

Along with a couple extra teenage boys.

Christmas on duty at Gateway.  I'm just never sure how it is going to go.  There are fewer kids in the house because some of them get day passes with their families, so the atmosphere is a bit more relaxed.  But that means the ones that are here do not get to spend it with their family.

Or may not even have a family to spend it with.

So, we are that family for them today.  It started with stockings and cinnamon rolls.  I cleaned the bathroom and did several loads of laundry.  Some Slavic nut break was made.  A birthday cake for Jesus as well.

And even as I type, I hear Paul having a conversation with the boys about Jesus, free will, and His gift of salvation.

"Wait, hold up, hold up, you mean doing good doesn't do nothing for getting into heaven?  So at what point do I get in?"

All while playing a computer game...who would have thought?

I didn't have a solid meal plan going into this day.  I've kinda felt in a funk for the past few weeks if you haven't noticed from my last couple posts.  But a phone call this morning from a former resident, who reminisced about the meal we did last year,  made me rethink what we would do for dinner.

So, with a bit of scurrying, I scrounged up another Slavic Christmas Dinner.

Our Christmas didn't quite look like the ones they sing about in those songs.  There wasn't a whole lot of gifts, we didn't even stuff ourselves silly.  No Santa.  Not even snow.

But there was a husband.  Three children.  And two teenagers.  There was love and warmth.  Relaxing and game playing.

And Jesus.  He was here, too.  He's the One who made the party possible.

Happy Birthday, Jesus.