Why I Love Christmas?

I love Christmas.

I love the Christmas meals.

Not just the food, mind you.

Like a few minutes ago, I just came from my Mom’s house for our Christmas lunch.

My sisters, their husbands, and most of the kids were there–and we ate and talked the whole time.

We had a seven-hour lunch!

As most of us were trying to be healthy, we didn’t have traditional Christmas dishes like Lechon, Crispy Pata, and Ham. Instead, we had green leafy salad with yogurt, fish fillet, and vegetarian pasta.

Impressed? Don’t be. Being the Sanchez household (where everyone is sweet), we still had Leche Flan, Apple pie, and two gallons of ice cream. Haha!

Yes, our food was fantastic. But our Christmas meal wasn’t about the food.

It was about being together.

It was about love, family, relationships, and all that good stuff.

After our lunch and before desert, we snuck into the prayer room, sat on the floor, and sang a few songs together.

For years, I used to play the guitar for our family Christmas worship.

But this year, my son Bene did us the favor of strumming the guitar. And his cousin, Joseph, played a few more Christmas songs for us. I have officially retired as the main music ministry of the family.

And around me were my young nieces and nephews–all serving God and all enjoying a deep relationship with God. The feeling was unbelievable.

Oh, to see the next generation take on the baton and serve the Lord. What else should I seek for?

Before the altar, each of us took turns thanking God for His blessings for 2010.

We then prayed for new blessings for 2011.

It was awesome.

After the many Amens, we all marched down and ate our ice cream–and talked for 3 more hours.