Baby's first Christmas.

Finally, as a new mom, I get to join the ranks of the lucky ones

who have that special page in their family scrapbook.

For the first time, this year I too got to dress up my little

precious cherub in his finest red velvet Christmas duds and have his picture

taken with Santa. We, like hundreds of other crazy new and veteran

moms and their charges, queued up in front of Braelinn Village and waited

more than two hours for that token two minutes on the big, red, jolly

guy's coveted lap.

Nicolas has already fallen asleep a couple of times under the

blinking Christmas tree lights, and he lovingly gums a stuffed reindeer rattle

bearing the words "Baby's First Christmas."

Of course my 4-month-old son won't remember any of these

special things, but I know he will one day cherish the photos.

The overkill of presents for the little guy has already begun. (Not

that I mind at all. Besides, I'm the one who gets to open them!) My

sister and her mother-in-law both forced us to open a few last week, since

we would be going out of town for the holiday. Here in Phoenix, where

my husband Matt's family lives, presents for Nicolas continue to stack up

under the tree.

I'm afraid to think about what Santa may do. I

have resisted many of the traditional holiday things, knowing we'd

be out of town. Like we didn't put up any Christmas lights or a

tree at our house, and we planned on Santa just bringing one

utilitarian item ­ a bigger car seat ­ once we returned home.

I certainly didn't write to Santa to tell him we would be gone. But

I don't know whether Matt's family has invited him here

or not.

Matt and I plan to carry on at least one tradition followed

Christmas Eve, before Santa comes. Hopefully this year

Matt's Italian family will teach me how to sing carols in Italian.

Traditions we plan to start with our new family are to read

the Christmas story from the chapter of Luke in the Bible, and

attend Christmas Eve church services.

We also look forward to explaining to our children

the real reason Christmas exists.

It is not celebrated in order to get gifts, visit family or take

a break from school. Christmas is the time we remember and

thank God for the greatest, most important present we will

ever receive ­ the gift of eternal life and fellowship with our

heavenly Father through faith in His sacrificed son, Jesus Christ.

It was on this day almost 2,000 years ago that our Savior

was born for the sole purpose of bearing the punishment for

the sins you and I continue to commit.

For that reason, we celebrate! We sing carols and praise

His name. Our adorable little children put on

wonderful Christmas plays to share this message with our family

and friends. (Boy, I can't wait for that!) We send out cards and

put up nativity scenes.

And after the holidays are over, the wrapping paper

is thrown away and families have gone their separate ways, I

hope this year a few more of the special people in Nicolas'

life will have decided to accept and unwrap that one, special gift

that makes all the difference. I hope you will, too.

Merry Christmas!

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