Christmas Came Early Tonight

Here it was almost two weeks before Christmas and I still didn't have the first decoration up -- let alone a Christmas tree. Things haven't been so normal around here these last few weeks with the wedding, the trip out of town, and then all the baking orders to fill. The fact is there has been no block of time where I could disappear into the storage room in the garage which is home to carefully packed away boxes, not to mention a few mice, in hopes of finding my way out again by Christmas. It was not only discouraging but very disheartening. I had come to the conclusion that I was going to stick some pine boughs in a vase and let that suffice. I'd seen it done in a magazine; maybe I could pull it off, too.

But let me back up a moment. I received a text this morning from my newly wed daughter telling me that she and her husband were free for supper tonight. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to be with them, I quickly agreed and left it open for leftover spaghetti or going out. But that decision was made for me when this afternoon I received yet another text, "Mexican, 5:30." Little did I know it was a full-fledged conspiracy.

As I drove down the street toward home after my chicken fajita quesadilla, I noticed my garage door was up, and the closer I got, I realized there was a truck backed into it. Either my oldest son was home or else I was being robbed blind. I stuck the key in the door, turned the knob, and that's when I heard it: Christmas music one could dance to. It didn't take me but a second to see the cause of the all the stir: an eight foot tree stood in the corner of the den, and there around it were my firstborn and his wife stringing lights! So .... I began to cry. When these two sweet things left to go back home, not only was the tree completed, every ornamentt hung and the star in place, but the wreath was on the front door and the candles were in the windows -- on timers!

What precious kids! What gifts of love! Oh, yes, Christmas had come early this year.