My favorite Christmas memories number 1

Can't believe Christmas is over and tomorrow it is back to school! Really missing "year-round" school when we get a full month off at Christmas!

Went to Texas to see family, played with cousins, took Piper on a right of passage trip to the American Girl doll store, spent a HORRIBLE night at Toy's R Us trying to get some sort of deal on Legos, wrapped a zillion gifts, made cookies, visited with far away friends, saw the craziest Christmas lights, read the Christmas story from a new fabulous Children's Bible.

But hear are the standout memories...

Memory number 1

A friend (and since she occasionally reads this blog - hope it is OK to tell this story) came from out of town and we took a short trip to the mountains. She felt horrible most of the time and wanted to lay in bed eating soup, watching TV and trying to forget her misery (I was downstairs at the spa - the way I enjoy forgetting misery!), but one night she felt well enough to go to dinner. While talking about Christmas she said, "What is the whole thing about the wise men... in fact - what is the whole Christmas story about?"

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Seriously."

"No, really - are you serious?"

"Serious."

So a story that I have heard my whole entire life, I was able to share with someone that was not very familiar with it. She asked such great questions and it was fun to see the story from her eyes. I know that she has heard bits and pieces of it over her life, but the majority of this story that has been ingrained in me and I tell it over and over to my kids - was new to her.

She listened very carefully to the details - that we have a broken relationship with a God that loves us and Jesus was born so that he could fix it.

When I told her about Jesus being born in a stable, she asked if there were any type of supernatural sign for his birth. (Yep, that is why there is the Star of Bethlehem). Did Jesus know that he was going to have to die? If Jesus was a jew, then why would he want to start a new religion? Why was everyone mad at him? Didn't he get beaten by someone? He really promised the man on the cross next to him he would be with him in paradise? You mean the story goes on after he died on the cross? He rises? People actually see him?

And on a very cold and snowy night in Beaver Creek... sitting in a hip, cool restaurant and drinking a glass of wine - I was able to tell the story of Christmas and it suddenly it seemed as new to me as it did to her.