Christmas Eve

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The anticipation of Christmas is amazing.

In fact, that may be the most magical moment of all of it.

As a kid the excitement was almost too much to handle. I recall waiting for Santa to come flying by and of course, we all tried to catch him in the act. I still laugh at something that Springsteen once said about it during one of his concert raps.

Bruce said that he was kind of old when his sister broke the news that Santa wasn't real. Bruce confronted his Dad.

"Dad, I know that Santa doesn't make all the toys at the North Pole, but he exists, right?"

Bruce's Dad said:

"Ask your mother."

So, Bruce decides to stay up late and catch Santa in the act so he can prove to his sister that she is wrong. He hears the front door of the house open and he watches his Dad enter, on the front end of a brand new bike.

"Dad! It's you!" Bruce cries. "Where is Santa?"

"He's on the other end," Bruce's Dad says.

And there was so much to the whole Santa thing. I recall the exact moment when I found out.

My Dad and John called me into the bedroom and John said it very plainly:

"There's no Santa. Mom and Dad buy the presents."

My heart simply sunk.

I looked at Dad.

He nodded.

I can remember being pissed at both of them.

Why all the lying?

Of course, being on the other end of things was really exciting. The kids were so fired up and we could get them to behave a little bit:

"SANTA IS WATCHING!"

Sadly, that is also long gone.

But the anticipation isn't.

I felt the anticipation all day at work on both Monday and Tuesday. People have one foot out the door. There's so much to do. So many hands to shake.

"Have a good Christmas. Merry Christmas. Enjoy the family."

Yet, in the back of my mind I am also in unbelievable awe about the power of the day.

The love is almost a thing that you can reach out and touch.

Christ's Birth is celebrated.

And that is amazing.

For Christians it's an amazing time of the year.

I also believe that all other faiths are touched in some fashion.

The world just pauses.

Everyone seems happier, right?

How can you not go crazy with anticipation?

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