An Unexpected Christmas Eve

Can a break in tradition be a good thing? This year, we found out... . Our family loves tradition. We faithfully observe a thousand self-imposed holiday rituals, developed over many happy Christmases together. . Come December 24, we know exactly what to expect from every moment of the day — morning present-wrapping, afternoon road tripping, potluck with Eileen’s family, precisely timed lasagna dinner and carols with mine, Christmas story reading, and present unwrapping. The predictability makes everything feel more pleasant.. even the chaos of sugar-high kids bouncing off the walls becomes a joyful noise! . But our Christmas Eve this year began less predictably in a very quiet Urgent Care clinic. We were awake the night before with Jasmine, our 7-year-old, who had become terribly sick. In the morning, our two little ones (of their own volition!) carried a little orange upstairs to their big sister’s bedside and prayed for her. When we saw it, we teared up at this simple display of pure love. Next Juliette, our 5-year-old, began vomiting. . Now at the clinic, the doctor had serious concerns about the extensive spots that had abruptly appeared on Jasmine’s skin. He sent us directly to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where we spent more of the day with specialists who were excellent with our three kids, but who couldn’t do much to ease our fears. (We never should have Googled their symptoms!) . Not the nostalgic day we and the kids had expected after a month of excitement looking forward to it. But our eldest, wise beyond her years, remarked that the most important thing was that our family was still together. . The kids are feeling better today, and we’re so thankful it wasn’t more serious — and so grateful for the lives of our kids as we celebrate the coming of our Healer and Life. . Merry Christmas from the Blumes! We wish you health and happiness in your own family traditions today. But if that cannot be, we pray for you nothing less than the love and hope of our Lord Jesus Christ! . photo by @thetessamarie