A new favorite....

I am one of those that gets stuck.  Sometimes.  Not all the time, but sometimes.  I DEFINITELY have my favorites though.  It takes something pretty doggone FANTASTIC to change my mind.

My favorite color, "peacock green" (just ask my bridesmaids).

My favorite dog, small.

My favorite vacation, ANY.

My favorite smell, lemon.

My favorite flavor, sweet.

My favorite cat, none (sorry, never have been a cat lover).

My favorite emotion, laughter!

My favorite holiday, Christmas.

My favorite dessert, ANY!

My favorite Christmas Carol singers.... Nat King Cole, Jim Reeves and Burl Ives!

Maybe it's because I grew up with these last few every year.  Their melodious voices make me feel like a child again, every year. In fact, it's not officially Christmas until I hear ONE of their songs, either here at home or out shopping somewhere.  Christmas has always been my favorite holiday.  Always!

That almost changed 9yrs ago.  My father passed away from a massive coronary, December 14, 2001.  The only thing we had been anticipating that day was getting to see them in 7 days to celebrate the holiday together.

Our family has always been very close. Christmas was always at my parents house.  Even my mother's parents always stayed the night Christmas Eve.  Every year.  It was  always a wonderful time!  That year, 2001 was going to be different.  They were coming to us.  That was the hardest thing I've EVER had to go through.   I wasn't sure if I would survive.  I did, by God's grace and love, I did.

It was a few years afterward that I finally recognized I wasn't a saint.  Literally.  Jesus broke open my heart so He could come in and make it soooo much better than it was before.  My whole life has changed.  Growing older, the switch in generation, the loss of loved ones.  Going from the child at Christmas to the parent at Christmas.  Things change.

Since then, Christmas has slowly changed for me.  Evolved in a way I guess.  Wanting less of the busy, more of Him.  I haven't fully achieved that yet :(  I've had a desire for something different though.  Peace.  That's it, peace.  True, simple, peace.

Even the old carols, though absolutely dreamy and always invoking that fuzzy feeling, didn't quite do it.  I love them, but... peace?  This year as I pulled out the Christmas CD's (yes, even Glen Campbell but he's not in the stereo yet, lol) I found one my sister had given us last year for Christmas.  It's by Casting Crowns.  A wonderful and gifted group of Christian artists.  I'm pretty much a stickler when it comes to my Christmas tunes but I thought I'd give it a try.  Hey, I'm game to try new things, besides, I can always change the CD, right?

OH WOW!  It mesmerized me.  Absolutely took my breath away, brought me to my knees and to tears.  It is my new favorite.  My favorite, my family's favorite EVER.  The carol that physically moves us.... "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day".  Never my favorite carol, by anyone.  This one, it's not a carol.  It's more than that.  It's worship.  A TRUE worship song, to the Christ Child, Savior, Mender of Broken Hearts, Lover of My Soul, Forgiver of Sins, My very best friend.

Peace.  It's captured here.  In this song.  True peace, wrapped in swaddling clothes, given as the greatest gift.  I'm so glad that He helped me keep Christmas as my favorite holiday and has given me the added pleasure of a different, new favorite.