My first real Christmas

I can remember Christmases for many, many years. I remember getting Barbie furniture as a little girl and Dad helping me punch out all the flatware just so he could step on it the next day. I remember getting my first cabbage patch doll. I was over the moon. I remember getting a pink popple with a purple tail just like I asked. That was no easy feat as they were the furby of my day. I also remember getting a puppy for Christmas. When I was growing up, we never had a lot of money, but we always had a wonderful Christmas. My parents made sure of it.
It wasn't until after I had long grown, gotten married and had the boys that I say I had my first real Christmas. See, I always knew what Christmas was about. I grew up in a Christian home. But, it was that year that I finally understood the magnitude of the gift that I had been given. The year the boys were born....
I remember the moment that the understanding hit me. Some would call it an Ah ha! Moment.
Jamie and I were driving to the hospital to visit the boys the week before Christmas. It was late and dark. I'm sure we were headed to tuck them in for the night. We drove around the park on our way to the hospital and I saw the lighted manger scene. Why then, but it dawned on me that I had a son. As after of fact, I had three sons. They were so tiny and fragile waiting for me at the hospital. At that time, I had limited contact with them, and already I had such an incredible bond!
I just like Mary had a boy that I loved dearly. I understood the love of a parent. See, I knew then that Christ had given his SON for me. I am now and will forever be grateful for the gift of his Son. It is a gift so overwhelming to me. I have celebrated many Christmases since then and hope to celebrate many more, but I hope to never lose sight of that first Christmas and that precious gift that was swaddled in a manger just for me. Merry Christmas !