There’s something about Christmas Eve—the anticipation of something wonderful coming. After almost two months of a sense of goodwill intermingled with chaos and the hunt for the perfect present, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Whether it’s everybody unwrapping presents next to the tree or a train coming at you is what makes it interesting.

For me, it’s usually been the former. There’s one notable exception, though. One Christmas a few years ago, my sweetheart, Todd, and I returned from our church’s Christmas service, and right when we got into the apartment complex, the steering column of my Jeep busted, which led to us spending our week of vacation without a vehicle. “Bah, humbug” wasn’t the most colorful phrase I used that year.

This year, with the day falling in the middle of the week, I managed to get all my newspaper work done by the early morning hours on Christmas Eve, which gave me much of the day to wander. I’d already taken care of present wrapping for the ones I’d bought that had the tags “From Todd and Lee,” and since the weather was cloudy and just above the freezing mark, I thought I’d take the slow route in picking Todd up from work.

After snagging a quick lunch from Arby’s (I know, I don’t usually hit the fast-food joints these days, but…) I hit the Hallmark shop to check out the décor. It was magic stepping in the door and seeing the Christmas ornaments right in front, although I’m sure the merchant had that in mind to boost sales.

I followed that up by checking out a bookstore, wondering if anyone was going to be there besides the employees. After all, most folks would be invading malls at that time to get the last-minute presents due to procrastination or be home wrapping those presents and cursing that they didn’t buy enough wrapping paper.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that a couple of families were browsing when I stepped in the door. It meant that the lone employee working on Christmas Eve wasn’t sitting there stewing and dusting off the books with a feather duster for the umpteenth time. It also meant it was a safe place from the crowds. Finally, it also meant I bought a book to add to the “To be read” pile.

I swear, one of these days the pile’s going to topple over, and just my luck, someone will be visited and either be killed and be maimed. Then I’ve got a lawsuit on my hands. Maybe I should stop writing this and get caught up on my reading.

Oh, wait. I’m not a quitter. I’ve still got to extol the joys of Christmas Eve.

Anyway, fast forward to our church’s annual Christmas Eve service. By luck, Todd was able to leave work early, and we got to the church before it got dark. There’s something different about the feel of our church at night. We’re used to stepping into the hallowed halls when it’s daylight, so walking in after dark with the lights giving the sanctuary a subdued look really gives you a feeling of peace.

It was amazing how comfortable it felt to sing songs, hear the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and spend some time in an atmosphere of peace on Christmas Eve. Being able to take a day and doing some simple things instead of feeling compelled to finish up a holiday list of chores was definitely a way to get ready for the big day.

Christmas Day usually involves visiting my sister and sharing the holiday with family, spending a couple of hours going around and opening presents, followed by the requisite dinner. While I always feel good going into the holiday, I strangely feel more serene today.

Merry Christmas.