The Sounds of Christmas

By:  Betty Predmore

It is two days until Christmas. There is baking to do and preparations to make. There are several more sappy Hallmark movies to fit into my schedule, and some last minute adventures in shopping. The house is decorated and the lights are twinkling. Outside my window, it looks like a December morning. Oh….the sights of Christmas!

There are also the sounds of Christmas. The kids have been on school break for almost a week, so there is the sound of bickering between children who have been spending too much quality time together. There is the sound of televisions competing with boom boxes to be heard at the highest level, cartoons competing with music for the top spot. There is the sound of the dog scratching at the door to be let in, which cannot be heard over the roar of above-mentioned appliances. Speaking of appliances, the washer and dryer make their own melody to add to this concert of chaos. (How do we get so many dirty clothes?) The ringing of the phone, the sounds of the neighborhood, and the herd of horses galloping down my stairs (oh wait, that’s just the hubby) complete this symphony of insanity that plays daily at the Predmore house.

Oh, what a loud mess we are! Oh, what craziness goes on in these walls! And oh, what a joy it is to be here, to be a part of this clan of crazies that God has tossed together. My Father has a wonderful sense of humor. I am blessed to live this life of lunacy and grateful for these people who give me gray hair and laugh lines.

I’m not sure what this day will bring, but I’m sure it will contain love and laughter, and possibly some squabbles and name-calling, but at the end of this day, I will climb my stairs to my big, comfy bed and sleep in Heavenly peace!