Thinking ahead...

So today is Christmas Eve, and I've been thinking about the birth of our Savior. Bruce and I plan to attend the Christmas Eve service at our church tonight. We'll come home and read the Christmas story (Luke 2: 1-20) and then spend time in prayer together before we open our gifts. We'll exchange the gifts we bought for each other and then sit and watch some old Christmas movies until the wee hours of the morning. That's pretty much our traditional Christmas Eve at our house. 

But I'm wondering what Christopher is doing today. As I write this it's 12:00 p.m. here and 6 p.m. in Hungary. I wonder how he will spend Christmas Eve. I wonder if he'll be allowed to go to Budapest and see the huge Christmas tree in the center of the city (pictured above). I wonder if the people who are caring for him will read him the Christmas story, or if they will even talk about the birth of Jesus. I wonder if he'll even receive any gifts tonight or tomorrow. My heart longs to know what's going on with him.

And now I'm thinking ahead...to what NEXT Christmas will be like. How will we make sure he understands the TRUE meaning of Christmas? What new traditions will we begin because we'll have a young child in our home? How can we help him to experience the wonder of this time of the year without falling into all the commercialism? 

I welcome your thoughts and suggestions. And I welcome your prayers for us...even prayers for the future. I believe we need prayers, not just for the immediate, but for the future as well.

Thanks again for following us on this journey. I pray you all have a very Merry Christmas as you celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and spend time with your family and friends.