Face turning red and eyes watering, our son was coughing so hard he couldn’t catch his breath, the mucus creating a suction in his throat that made it hard to catch a break. My husband and I looked at one another and panicked. We quickly bundled Baby Boy and put him in the car to take him to the doctor. Expectations crushed, I thought to myself, “Baby boy’s first Christmas and we are headed to the urgent care.”
Christmas with a little one is a lot of pressure. Especially a baby’s FIRST Christmas. Unfortunately our son had been sick the whole week leading up to Christmas. His sickness was the usual sickness that many babies get: runny nose, cough, and thankfully no fever. But as first time parents, this cold was scary in and of itself, despite assurance from friends and family. And this hacking cough episode confirmed our worst fears: that we should have done something sooner.
Thankfully, one breathing treatment and prescription later, we were on our way back home to a much-needed nap for our son. But the day’s expectations were completely tarnished—each unexpected turn sinking my mood and wreaking emotional havoc on my heart.
Santa’s presents would have to wait. Family time with grandparents would be pushed to later in the day if we were able to get our son out at all. And a festive family Christmas dinner of turkey and dressing might as well be a mere figment of our imagination. Unfortunately, there was no way we could bring our son around all of those relatives.
“Merry Christmas,” I thought sadly. The Christmas Day ruined; reality crushing my expectations.
But you know what?
Despite traveling on an uncomfortable donkey and unforgiving innkeepers slamming the door with a belligerent no, Mary and Joseph got to the stable, and the babe was born. Jesus, just as God promised, had come to live with us.
I had to remind myself that Christmas was much more than one day in which to squeeze all the celebrating.
As the Grinch says, “Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
Christmas is obviously more than presents and food. Instinctually I know this, but the unexpected events of the day were a good reminder. Christmas Day didn’t go as “expected,” but Jesus still came, when we were knee-deep in our sin, to love us and show us how to love.
And in spite of unexpected events, our family was still together. Baby Boy smiled and laughed. And we ended the day eating snickerdoodle cookies, snuggled together on the couch, watching The Preacher’s Wife. No, the day was a far cry from how I wanted my baby boy’s first Christmas to happen. But I was greatly relieved that the observance of Christmas still came despite life’s reality altering my expectations.
Creating Realistic Expectations at Christmas
This is just a reminder that nothing in life is absolutely foolproof. We can create the most perfect situations in our minds, with every good intention imaginable. But then life hits, and events don’t always go according to how we planned them. So in order to keep our spirits soaring, despite events not necessarily going our way, here are three things you can expect from Christmas.
- Who we are able to celebrate on Christmas Day never changes. It’s not about how we celebrate or the activities we do in the day. It’s the Who we are able to glorify. Whether rejoicing at the urgent care or at a huge gathering surrounded by the people you love, Jesus came for every single one us.
- December 25th might one day, but the observance of Christmas is more than one day. The festivities merely begin with the 25th, but thankfully continue for 12 days. It took important people that long to to come and see the Savior. So gather your family and friends and keep the traditions going! Jesus lives on. He is not dead nor does He sleep.
- “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies…are new every morning…” Lamentations 3:22-23. Despite circumstances that are out of our control, God loves us with a never-stopping love and a fresh start meets us every morning.
