Merry day after Christmas!

Hi kids, Merry day after Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your families and friends and that you are recovering from any chocolate OD-ing you might have done yesterday (I'm still unsure as to whether or not I'll be able to move much today).
This Christmas was very different from most for me... there was a huge break in tradition on many levels and it wasn't a bad thing, but it sort of propelled me into the "oh ya, when you grow up things start to change" frame of mind. All things considered, I'm ready for change- I'm finally embracing it instead of crying about it. It took me 23 years to get here. But for instance, my parents re-did my entire room so that, ahem, "it can be a lovely guest room for me and then someday their grandkids can stay overnight." Hmmm.... I used to hate the thought of turning MY bedroom into a guest room but now that I am living on my own and doing a job I love, I'm OK with it. It makes sense and it has brought the end of an era but opened the door to the start of a new one that I am excited about.
On Christmas Eve, we went to the Congregational Church for an 11 pm mass instead of the 4 pm Catholic mass and pageant we normally attend. Tara's friend was playing the vibes and wanted us to come so we thought we'd give it a shot. It was really beautiful, actually... it was a very small group of people, we had a beautiful candlelight vigil, and there was a lot more singing and reflecting on the season instead of repetitive prayer and scripture reading. I would say it felt more "spiritual" in a sense.
Prior to actually being home for Christmas, I also realized that I was truly interested in giving over receiving this year. I think I was blessed with parents who taught me that lesson from a young age, but it doesn't mean that as a kid I didn't have stars in my eyes about presents. This year, though, I honestly didn't for a second think about things I might get... which is a little weird, because normally there's at least one thing you're sort of hoping for. No, this year, through my job, I felt like Santa everyday and was working towards granting wishes for babies who truly deserve it. When we put on the Wishathon at the Prudential Center and saw the outpouring of generosity from strangers who called in to make donations or stopped by our booth and wrote out huge checks, it made my heart feel really full and complete. People were doing what they could (some donating 2 dollars, other thousands) because they listened to the radio and heard about our mission and felt compelled to help. That is beautiful.
I also adopted a little family this year and was amazed to see how quickly friends agreed to help- there were literally boxes upon boxes of toys and clothes shipped to me apartment this past month and the look on this man's face when I gave him the bags of presents two nights ago was priceless. A) I am truly blessed to have some of the most caring, compassionate friends in my life and B) this man and his family didn't have to worry for once about where to turn at the holidays. THAT is the spirit and love of Christmas.
In other areas, I have had so many friends get married over the past few months and ones that are going to be getting married soon that it was interesting to think about what their Christmases would be like compared to mine. I'm still like a little girl, waking up in the bed I've woken up in every year since I was 7 years old and running downstairs where my dad and mom wait with a video camera and Christmas music playing. Some of my friends, however, are waking up next to this other person that they're sharing a life with now and are starting their own family traditions. They're splitting time between families and probably thinking about starting their own a few years down the road. That's exciting to me- it used to be scary but now I think, wow, how crazy... how crazy to feel so young sometimes but then to be talking about marriage and kids and whose house to go to for Christmas. Wow. I'm finally at a good place with all of that- about a year ago I started to panic that something was wrong with me for not being in that same place as so many people I know that are my age... now I just feel happy that these people I love are happy and are making amazing choices as to who they choose to share their lives with. And you know that? That happens at all different points for all different people. In the meantime, I love going to visit them in their new "grown up" worlds and thinking to myself, "someday, this will be me.... but for now, I am just starting on my own new adventure that I LOVE!!!"

So Merry Christmas, my loves... may you all be happy with everything you have this year and may 2009 bring a fresh start and lots of love and success in all the right ways.

XOXO