It is past midnight (on Sunday, Dec. 19th), and the entire house smells like CHRISTMAS – chocolate-y, fruity, sweet-and-spicy Christmas! I started baking this evening and will continue tomorrow with sample-sized loaves of various breads that will become gifts for neighbors and friends.
Although it’s been a long time since I’ve done mega-baking, these aromas remind me of those we used to generate at Baker’s Peak. I easily remember not only the smells, but also the happy faces that showed up at our bakery case looking for special treats to enhance special holiday gatherings. Bakery ownership was a difficult challenge for me in many ways, but the rewards were obviously great in a relational sense. I am grateful I had that opportunity.
But back in the present, I also finished addressing 200 Christmas cards this afternoon - no small task! I consider this a great opportunity to stay in touch with people who otherwise might slip through the cracks of everyday life.
For me, the Christmas season is always one of different kinds of connection – some obvious and practiced, but a few not-so-predictable. I will see all of my kids and grandkids at some point in the coming weeks. I also hope to visit a neighbor down the road I barely know who has been through the mill with multiple surgeries the last several months, and there’s a long-distance friend who is struggling with depression that I want to reach out to.
The most poignant relational anticipation, however, comes in actively watching for the wonder and mystery that seem to compound annually as Christ becomes more real and active in my heart. Each year I don’t overtly expect anything new, but I am always overwhelmed anyway by ever-increasing measures of His grace and mercy…and HIS PRESENCE.
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