I dreamed last night that I blogged. Who says you can’t make your dreams come true?

Rather than offer up the repetitious excuses of why I’ve been tacit here, I thought I’d spend the time reveling in my favorite time of year: Christmas.

I’ve always loved Christmas. I turn into this sentimental sap, and I confess, my tastes can go a bit Norman Rockwell for the month. I eat up all the ABC Family Christmas movies (not to mention the old standards like White Christmas, Rudolph, and now, Elf). I fill my Pandora radio stations with classic Christmas standards, Indie holiday songs, and even a station named for the Waitresses holiday music. My house looks like Frosty exploded.

And don’t forget the trees: Maggie, our red tree; Henry, our mini-tree; and Rose, the table-top tree that was a hand-me-down from my parents when I was in college, who got it as a hand-me-down when they got married from my grandparents’ neighbor. Then there’s our real tree, Marty this year, chosen by Keegan.

This year I’m learning how hard it is to not spoil your kids. Chris and I agreed that this is a good year to go minimalist. Keegan’s not old enough to have a Christmas list. But for the love of mistletoe and holly, how do you not buy all the fun (and educational!) toys out there?

I think how this is just the beginning, how in years to come I’ll introduce Keegan to the misfit toys, to the history behind our ornaments, to the Miser brothers’ dance. But most of all, I’ll introduce him to the story Christians celebrate this time of year: to the waiting for our Messiah, how he came once and how he’ll come again, to the mystery and majesty of the incarnation, to the beauty of a man and woman who submitted to God’s will and raised a little boy who is God. (Did Jesus fight his naps too?) I dream of teaching him how it is more blessed to give than receive, but how we receive the sacrament of God’s grace, of how our attitude should be like Christ / who being in very nature God / did not consider equality with God something to be grasped / but made himself nothing. I dream of showing him how Christmas lights reflect the Light of the World, of how we long for peace on earth, goodwill toward men and how we can have this in our hearts and lives.

‘Tis the season.