As a "Preacher's Spouse" I have a somewhat different kind of Christmas. We will make additional gifts to the homeless shelter, help serve a meal at the AIDS hospice, pack holiday baskets at the church food pantry, buy gifts for the underprivileged children on the church giving tree, take our Syrian refugee family shopping, shop for family and friends on the internet, attend several holiday parties including one at the synagogue, seasonal symphony concerts and theatrical productions, and the normal 50 hours a week in church related activities becomes more like 60 or 70.
We don't get many carolers around here for whatever reason but one group of carolers I saw had carolers wearing "cowboy" hats, hajibs, yarmulkes, even a turbaned Sikh. I have to say that I loved seeing that. It made me believe that Christmas really is a magic time of peace and goodwill toward all.
Both of us will have sore throats; mine from all the choir rehearsals and performances, her's from all the sermons preached and prayers prayed at special services; I will be worn out from all the housework she is too busy working on her sermons to help with. We haven't had time to put up a Christmas tree in years and our decorations are four lighted wreaths with Chrismons on the porch pillars.
We will entertain our grandsons up to Christmas Day when they go home (flights are cheaper on Christmas Day). Our big worship services are Christmas Eve at noon, 6:00 PM for families with small children, 8:00 PM for families with older children and older members who don't want to be out late and at 10:00 PM a midnight candle lighting service. Since Christmas is on Sunday this year we only have one service at 10:00 AM and the sermon will be sung by the choirs. If we didn't have to take the grandkids to the airport we would go home, put our feet up and get some sleep. When Christmas Day is NOT on Sunday we customarily go to the movies. (An informal poll of of other minister families found many of them celebrate Christmas Day the way we do unless there are young children or grandchildren.
Our take is the Christian celebration is Christmas Eve when we commemorate the birth of Christ and Christmas Day has become a cultural holiday celebrated by atheists, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, agnostics, etc.
Thank heaven we have two months after Christmas to get ready for the REAL Christian celebration of Lent culminating in Easter.
