This is an easy one: Christmas all the way. It's not even a contest with the other holidays. I think part of the draw for me even now is that we used to have the King family Christmas every year when we still lived in Colorado. It was an event that my Grandpa King really enjoyed and I think that's why after he passed away we all stopped meeting up at Christmas time. It kind of faded away even before he was gone, but afterward it was for sure done. It was such a fun event when I was a kid because all the cousins were there and we didn't get to see them all too often. Granted, my siblings and I were all the youngest of the cousins because my dad is the youngest sibling by 10 years in his family. But that just meant we got a lot of attention because we were the youngest.
There was always a gift exchange with one person and then a white elephant afterward. That wasn't the best part though. I remember it was an entire day affair and by the time we got home we were all exhausted from running around my uncle Larry's house. He had the best place for it because there were three levels. And now that I think about it, that was definitely done on purpose so they could corral the kids. Smart, smart! I'll have to take note of that if we can ever get the King family Christmas started up again.
Even when that event no longer existed, Christmas has always been my favorite. And it's not because Santa would visit our house because he was never part of the narrative for us. Some might think that's just plain wrong, but it's what my parents decided or what just ended up happening. The jury's still out on how I feel about that in relation to Gus, but I still have some time on that one luckily. Anyways, Christmas is such a pretty time no matter where you are in the world. Lights are strung up in town and jolly music comes on almost every radio station. Add in the trees and extra decorations and I just can't get over it. I know people don't like Christmas music and trees starting before Thanksgiving, but I'm definitely the kind of person who gets those started ASAP. I'm talkin' November 1. Anything earlier would be just a tick too soon, even for me.
Going a bit deeper into the holiday, Christmas is one of the most important in relation to my faith. And now that I've had a baby, it's become so much more significant. The last time I sat on Jaycee (my horse) while pregnant was in the middle of August, at about 36 weeks. And I just sat on her, I didn't really ride her around. But Mary hopped her extremely pregnant self on a donkey, which is way less comfy than a horse btw, and rode who knows how many miles to Jerusalem. That in itself is a feat! I can't say I would've been able to do it. And then to labor and deliver a baby in a barn, it's just unimaginable. All of it really. It's just blowing my mind as I think of it now. God sent is only son to live on earth as a man and then die a horrendous death to pay for the sins of every single human being that ever has or will exist. Now that I have a son, just one, the meaning feels so much deeper. It illustrates Mark 12:31 perfectly:
"The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
We all love ourselves a lot, even if we don't think so. Our main priority in a day is usually to look out for number, even if we don't consciously try to think that way. It's just human nature. I think Christmas is a unique opportunity to evaluate if we're actually walking out Mark 12:30-31. With verse 30 being:
"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'"
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