Christmas Abroad

Students visit for an open house

Emily and the twins with a co-worker

Emily pointed out recently to me that this Christmas I am surprisingly upbeat. I think in Christmases past I've often felt burned out or lest than festive. Usually the holidays coincide with final exams, a lot of church work, and extensive travel (probably 30+ hours of driving). Taken together, and paired with the ugliness of shopping and packing, I'm probably not that much fun to be around. I also always struggled with decorating an apartment that we were going to leave as we headed west to relatives. (And as I think about it, tons of food I shouldn't be eating everywhere probably doesn't make me feel great either.)

This year, I'm finding that I'm really enjoy the holidays. Delayed grading (until January), no church work, and zero travel have quickly upped the general happiness quotient. Christmas is also in many ways a children's holiday. It's part of how we teach our culture to our kids, and it's one of the major festivals of the church. So some of the joy is in watching Sam participate in things and in dressing Eva and Eli up in Christmas outfits, buying presents, decorating a tree, etc., etc. Before I found a lot of Christmas obligatory, but now it's more celebratory. Does that make sense? I'm hoping my de-Grinchification carries through New Year's, the New Year after that, and marks a general term in temperament. As challenging as this phase of life is, I'm also finding it brings real rewards after a fair amount of struggle and effort.

I'm also genuinely excited about the worship services and campus activities, and I'm encouraged by the friendly outlook of students on campus. It doesn't hurt that it's in the seventies some days. Hearing the organ on campus and having a library just minutes away are also a plus. We still face many challenges, and I will no doubt return to complaining in the future, but for now I'm enjoying the Christmas season and the mystery it shares with us.