You win some and you lose some

Let me start by saying that I love Christmas. I love so many things about Christmas, and I will be sharing some of the things I love soon. But for now I will recount what happen yesterday morning. It’s not all bad, actually it started very nicely, but as always, you win some and you lose some.

It all started when the kids woke up and realized that there had been a major snowfall during the night. From that very second on, the only thing Henry had on his mind was playing in the snow. He begged and begged to walk to school until I relented. I admit that my car would probably not have made it to school as it was still snowing bit and the roads in the neighborhood had not been plowed but I want to make sure to point out that it was Henry idea in the first place, he wanted to go walk in the snow. So we bundled up (hats, gloves, and snow boots) and started for school. The kids had a great time running in the snow, throwing a few snowballs, making a couple of snow angels (you win some) until about a 50 yards from the school gates and Henry started screaming, I mean really screaming, people could probably hear him within a ½ mile radius. “You’re the meanest mom in the world! It was all your idea! And now I’m going to freeze to death!” So we went to the gates, I kissed Olivia goodbye and we went back home (about ⅓ of a mile) with Henry screaming the whole time (you lose some). I have to admit it was a little bit my fault; I hadn’t bought the kids good gloves yet, and the only ones we had that fit their growing hands were the wool ones that get soaked really fast when playing in the snow. I was very calm, I didn't respond to his accusations, I just grabbed his little hand and walked home. By the time we finally got home, Henry (who had taken his wet gloves off) was a sobbing, red-faced and red hands, with snot coming out of his nose mess. And then I did something only the meanest mom in the world would do: I took a picture of him.

After a few minutes in the warm house, Henry calmed down and told me I wasn’t the meanest mom in the world. He also said that he was sorry he lied because it had been his idea to walk to school in the snow. We hugged and I got him settled into a nice warm bath with tons of bubbles. After his bath and dressed in warm clothes, we sipped hot chocolate and Henry said: “I never want to walk to school in the snow ever again.” And halfway through the afternoon, he was ready to go out and play in the snow again. As soon as I get some chains on my tires, I’m going to go buy the kids snow suits and waterproof gloves.

The meaning of Christmas

Tonight, I attended a beautiful Christmas program. The program wasn’t about how today’s world sees Christmas. It wasn’t either about service or gift giving. It was about the women at Christ’s birth: Joseph’s mother, the inn-keeper’s wife, the shepherd’s wife, Elizabeth and Mary. It was about what these women saw and testified of. Some of the program was from the scriptures, some was what they might have thought, and all of it was wonderful. In the excitement of all the store-bought items we desire and the lights and the window fronts and streets, we tend to forget about the true light, the Savior. These women saw what was truly important; a son, a grandson, a second-cousin, a child, a savior. They saw Jesus as we all should see Him, as a child, then a man, who was born on this earth, lived, learned, loved all and ultimately gave His own life for us. Christmas is about remembering that He lived and how He lived His life. It’s about trying our best to pattern our own lives after the Savior’s. I love this picture of the child Jesus praying with his mother, Mary. It reminds me that, as a mother, the best way to emulate the Savior is to love and teach my children about Him. I love the Savior and my family. I love the spirit of Christmas that puts everything back in focus. As President Monson said during the Christmas devotional in 2006: "Most of all, let it be a time to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds and the worship of the wise men." Merry Christmas!