Last Thursday night, I got to do something I've never done before.
Caroling!
My four year old Little Miss, a handful of other kids, and about ten middle-aged adults (mostly women, and two men) donned coats, real candles, and a basket of peppermint goody giveaways and began ringing doorbells in one of the women's neighborhoods. The kids stood up front and belted out Jingle Bells, while ringing their own miniature bells they'd been given and waving their battery-operated fake candles, and brought Christmas joy like that area had never seen ;)
At first, it was awkward, but fun. We weren't a professional choir, but some of us (not me) sang better than others, and overall, it was really nice. The moms, dads, and children that answered the doors always grinned and clapped for us. The babies stared in wide-eyed wonder. And the dogs barreled out to sniff us before giving reluctant approval. But then something shifted.
Somewhere around the time the final strains of Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas floated away into the night, and the first notes of Silent Night were breathed into the air, magic took over.
Holy magic.
Christmas magic.
As the song drifted around us, it enveloped us all. Men, women, children. Parents holding their pajama-clad children leaned against the door frame of their home and closed their eyes, or silently mouthed the words along. Peace took over. Joy. Hope.
We weren't performing anymore, we were worshipping a tiny baby in a manger.
Have you experienced the wonder of Christmas yet this season? You don't have to look far to find it. The magic is in the air. All around you. Just stop, listen and breathe it in.
Breathe Christ in.
Merry Christmas, indeed.
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