Well that sure was fast. Christmas really seemed to sneak up on me this year, probably because exams went until the 22nd. This time through was a new world for us, with a very aware (some might even say astute) 2 year-old. We were playing in the living room a couple days before Christmas when Lindsay pointed over at the fireplace and said, “Daddy, how’s Santa gonna fit?” Then a little later, she told Jenn, “Santa won’t get burned in the fireplace, Mommy.” No, she doesn’t miss much.
Santa brought her a guitar this year, and she seems to love it. She doesn’t really play it yet, but she definitely understands the strumming and fingering thing. “Why do guitars have strings?” With these kinds of questions, I half-expect her to start asking, “How can we know there are other minds?” or some such.
It’s also fun to turn the tables on her from time to time. I can’t remember what she was upset about, but Jenn and I both asked her why she was crying. She sniffled and looked at Jenn and said, “’bout YOOOUUU, mommy.” That’s now my favorite response to almost anything Jenn asks me. It covers so many bases.
Overall it’s been a good winter break around here. We ate lots of excellent pecan rolls at Grammy’s, got love-bombed repeatedly by the whole fan club, and just generally caught up with people and got to know new parts of the family a little better.
On a more personal and note, I found myself more aware of the spiritual significance of this Christmas than most years. This was probably the result of getting to lead a discussion on the topic at home church this year, where I focused on the idea of identifying. I would argue that this is exactly what happened at the Incarnation — the God of the universe chose to identify with us. To do that in a meaningful way required that He enter space and time and become fully human, which is what the incarnation is about. A being that was formerly spiritual chose to take on a physical form, limited to a single place at a single time. This also makes the incarnation a testable historical claim, which I believe sets the Christian faith on a unique (and firm) foundation.