Christmas is 2 months away! Just thinking about it makes me reflect on some of my all time favorite Christmas celebrations. Coincidentally they all took place in small and unusual circumstances. I remember spending our first Christmas as newly weds at a hotel because we were visiting my parents who were not in their new house yet.

I remember another Christmas in a hotel when we spent the holidays helping out after hurricane Katrina down in New Orleans.

 Our last Christmas in our Texas home was really special too. We had to keep everything simple because of our house being on the market, but we still managed to pull out the little Christmas tree that we’ve had forever, which adorns a silly little aluminum foil star. We opened a few presents with the kids before heading off to church and that was that.

 All three of these Christmases were beautiful and I will never ever forget them, but my favorite Christmas was spent in a hospital.

*The following paragraphs were taken from a blog post I wrote 5 years ago. 

I have shared before that my little brother had Luekemia and for years he was in and out of the hospital getting treatments.  This particular winter he was there exclusively. When it snowed we brought it to him in a Tupperware container so that he could enjoy some of it too. For Christmas that year our family of six piled into the tiny hospital room full of presents and our attempts at decorations. I remember getting a life size doll that year. By life size I mean she was probably 3 feet tall. When you are young, good things do not come in small packages no matter what anyone tries to convince you. So you can image I was thrilled to see this gigantic present all wrapped up with my name on it! 

It might not seem like the picture perfect Christmas. My parents finances were stretched to the limits, we were away from home, our youngest family member had a terminal illness, but somehow that is the Christmas that we all look back on and agree was our favorite. We had the gift of time, precious time as a family. It didn’t matter if there were fluorescent lights instead of a fireplace, or doctors and nurses instead of grandparents and cousins. It was our last family Christmas altogether and there were no disappointments because we cherished it in that moment not knowing what the future would bring and we still cherish it today.

Reminiscing about that time in our lives reminds me in some ways of this place that we are at now. It doesn’t feel like the ideal situation, but this Christmas is one that I look forward to and am expecting great things (and I don’t mean presents, although those are nice too). 
Maybe you are planning on a simple Christmas this year, or maybe you are having Christmas away from home. No matter what the circumstances are, just know that the true spirit of Christmas can be found in a hospital, or a hotel room, or a tiny apartment. No place is too small or too simple, not even a humble stable. 

This post is a part of a 31 day series. You can find the rest on my index page. Thank you for stopping by.