I need inspiration for my annual Christmas newsletter, so I'm re-posting these in hopes that some form of writing/internet osmosis will occur and I will think of something to write.
Christmas 2010
Dear Friends and Family,
I like to decorate for Christmas. Wreaths with red berries, green garland, plaid ribbon laced with gold, and the more twinkle lights the better! I think Ben is still getting used to my extreme love of Christmas, but this year he was the one eager to get the tree up. I haven’t been feeling quite as Christmasy (is that a word?) as I usually do, but the other day something happened to bring back my Christmas spirit full force.
I was on my knees in the living room with the season’s paraphernalia piled around me. Plastic tubs full of lights, half of which didn’t work, rolls of ribbon, and boxes of many small breakable things to hang on the tree. Ah, and the nativity. I opened the box and even though I’ve seen it before, my breath caught unexpectedly when the tissue wrapping fell from the figure of Mary and Jesus. She kneels, cradling the baby in her arms, looking down lovingly the way I so often look at Patience. I placed the tiny figurine on the sofa table and sat back, surprised at the unbidden tears that sprung into my eyes. This, I thought, is Christmas. I know the story of Jesus so well I sometimes forget to think about it. But as I sat on the floor surrounded by the chaos of Christmas, the enormity of what we are celebrating washed over me. God sent Jesus, in the form of a tiny baby, to save the world. So simple, yet so profound.
What better reason to celebrate? That’s why we hang white icicle lights from our eaves to twinkle out, silently telling those who drive by that Jesus is the Light of the World. It’s why we give gifts to those we love, reflecting the unmatched generosity of God, who so freely gave us his only Son.
God has blessed us so much this past year. Ben has successfully built two beautiful cabins in the Beavers Bend area and just started a third. He’s been able to acquire all the tools he needs for Netherton Construction to be well equipped and keep growing. He loves his work and even though the days are sometimes long, he often says that it’s satisfying to spend his days creating. It’s wonderful that he’s able to use his God-given talent to make a living for us.
Our favorite blessing of the year is obviously Patience Elizabeth, already 8 months old. We looked forward to having her, but we had no idea how much fun she would really be. She has two teeth on the bottom, she loves to eat avocados, and her Daddy is her favorite person in the world. She gets really excited when he comes home from work. Lots of squealing, bouncing, and big slobbery kisses.
And what do my days look like? Let’s see, I change diapers, do laundry, clean house, buy groceries and cook. Then I start all over again. And I love it. Our home is the most beautiful place in the world to me, and I’m so thankful I get to spend so much time here, working to make it a pleasant and happy place for Ben and Patience.
So, back to Christmas. As you see, God has given us much more than we deserve. The Christmas season reminds me of that, perhaps because it is the season of giving. Some like to complain of our culture’s mindless materialism at Christmastime, but I prefer to think of it as a beautiful reflection of God’s great love for us in giving the greatest Gift of all.
Have fun celebrating Jesus!
Benjamin, Sarah and Patience Netherton
Christmas 2011
Dear Friends and Family,
I’ve never felt as unprepared for Christmas as I feel this year. Its just around the corner and I’ve done no Christmas baking, minimal shopping, and this newsletter will reach some of you very late indeed. Half the lights on our tree burned out after we got it up and decorated, I ran out of gift labels so have resorted to writing names on packages with a Sharpie, and when Ben and I poured our first cup of Christmas eggnog we both noticed it had a funny taste. I looked at the jug, and I had grabbed lite eggnog in my rush at the store. What was I thinking? We don’t do lite anything in our house. So, needless to say, I’ve felt a little out of sorts. But, as usual, something happened to put things back in perspective.
I was unpacking my Nativity - most beloved of all Christmas decorations - when Patience came pitter-pattering across the wood floor in her purple striped p.j.’s. She’s just tall enough to see over the edge of the sofa table where I had placed the figure of Mary and Jesus. Dimpled hands gripped the edge of the table and hazel-green eyes stared in wide-eyed wonder. On tip-toe she stretched to gently trace her tiny finger over the figurine. She looked at me, rosy lips puckering into a perfect O, then her gaze locked back onto Jesus. I sat back in the midst of my burned out lights and lists of unfinished Things To Do, and watched my little daughter focus on nothing but Jesus. After a minute she toddled away, leaving little greasy fingerprints on the edge of the table.
I regained my perspective of Christmas that day. It doesn’t matter if I have a dozen strands of lights burned out on my tree. It doesn’t matter if I get around to making thin mints this year. It doesn’t even really matter if I send out this newsletter. All that has purpose and place, but when I start focusing on my lists just for the sake of getting it done as opposed to doing it in celebration of the birth of Christ, my priorities are off. I want to see that figurine of Jesus and Mary the way Patience did, as though for the first time. I want to reach out to Him, and stretch myself as far as I need to. I’ve not yet wiped those tiny fingerprints from the table where the Nativity rests. I leave them there as a reminder to view the miracle of Christmas with the eyes and faith of a child. To see this season for what it really is: the greatest cause for celebration in the history of mankind, because God came to earth. That’s a reason to celebrate, and we will sing his praises, even if we have no thin mints and the eggnog is lite.
Speaking of praising God, we are so thankful to him for his many blessings in our lives. Sometimes I look around, take a deep breath, and wonder how its possible that existence can be so beautiful. We still live in our little grey house in the woods with a creek out back and we love it. Ben is still going strong in the contracting business. He’s developed quite a reputation in the area as an excellent builder. I stay home to keep house and chase Patience who is now a very active 19 month old. She fills the house with laughter and it’s a beautiful sound. Our big news of the year is that we’ll be having another baby in June! We decided Patience needs a little partner in crime. We look forward to the new addition to the Netherton family!
For us, life itself is a reason to celebrate, and the Christmas season just causes us to kick it up a notch. Maybe I’ll get my act together, replace the lights on the tree, whip out a batch of thin mints and actually mail this newsletter. But if not, ‘tis still the season, and that star still shone over Bethlehem. That’s what I’ll think about as I sip lite eggnog. Maybe its not so bad after all.
Have fun celebrating Jesus!
Benjamin, Sarah, Patience and Baby Netherton
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