_buon natale_

Well it's Christmas day! I don't know where all of the time has gone! But currently I am in Marina's living room, on Christmas day. I never thought I would be in Italy for it all! What a year this has been. I can't believe it!

Last night I was able to skype with my beautiful family during their Christmas Eve dinner. It was amazing to see them all together and at the table, with all the food and everything. I miss them all terribly! But it felt so much better just to talk with them all, and see everyone together. Even Marina got to say 'hi' and talk to everyone. What a blessing it has been to be with her and her family this Christmas; they have to be some of the most generous and hospitable people I know. It has been awesome to see what an Italian Christmas is like and celebrate with them. I am eternally grateful!

Even though Christmas here has been lovely, it is still hard not to be home with my family and friends for the holidays, especially since some of them will leave again soon after Christmas or New Years. You know that feeling of missing out? Well, multiply it by 100, and that's about the feeling of missing Christmas at home. BUT, I know that it will make all the following Christmases that much sweeter. I love my family dearly.

But all of these things, when boiled down, are mostly tradition, and tradition can be beautiful. But true Christmas depends on not the location your in, the people you are with, whether or not you have snow or rain or sunshine, or whether you have gifts or not. True Christmas depends on one person, and one person only:

Happy Birthday Jesus!!

_the meaning of Christmas_

All of us have gotten a little Christmas-crazy here. Which is almost completely amazing. The only downside is, the more I see the lights, the garlands, the gifts, sales, food, candies, and warmer clothes of the Christmas season, it makes me miss home rather terribly. And the worst part about it is that I won't be going home this Christmas. I will be arriving just after the holiday season, on the 6th of January to be exact. But this means I miss just about everything. My sister will be back in school by the time I get back. Most people would have thrown out their Christmas trees by that time. Christmas lights will be coming down. After Christmas sales will be in full force or winding down. Family parties will have happened before or on Christmas day. Potlucks with friends before the 25th as well. And church parties and services will be long over. That's hard. Christmas is my favorite time of year. Christmas break, when I come back from RPI for the MUCH-needed break from anything architecture and involving rigorous study, is my favorite break. I don't have to pack that much. I don't have to move my life and all of my belongings back and forth. I just need to be there. Be me. Be present with my family and my friends and take it all in. 

Ice storms and inclement weather..
not always fun, but typically beautiful

Now, that said, I am not completely disappointed this Christmas. In fact, I am extremely excited because I have the chance to spend Christmas in Italy and in Torino with my dearest friend Marina and her family. What a gift! When else will I be able to spend Christmas in a place like Italy!? Italy is beautiful around this time of year. The decorations are really amazing. The people bustle around doing their Christmas shopping just like in the US... but they are much much more calm about it, it seems. I'm a fan of that. But really, I am really excited for an Italian Christmas.

I am also crazy excited that I get to spend it with a family. And I also get to spend it in a place with (hopefully) snow and cold weather. Rome is so warm! It's ridiculous! But I am truly extremely excited. If you haven't noticed, I really love Torino. I don't think I expected to love it as much as I do. I guess I will always be a Northern girl. North places always are more comfortable to me. I need seasons. I feel imbalanced without ALL FOUR. And I need winter.

As much as it is annoying to trudge through snow and have freezing rain smack you in the face in the dead of January sometimes, the beautiful peaceful snow, the powder and the snowmen make it all worth it. I love warm clothing, hot tea, hot soup, mittens, snowball fights, glitter and sequins of children's Christmas cards, Christmas Swedish sausage, lefse, krumkake, and puppy chow. And most of all I love the family around Christmastime. Family and friends. 

Winter driving is always an adventure. 

But I was sitting in church this morning, being chilled every few minutes by the door opening behind me, and thinking about this whole concept of Christmas. It was beginning to get painful to hear about everyone flying home for Christmas. I was beginning to think that it would have been better to fly home for Christmas. I wouldn't miss it that way. ...but miss Christmas? Christmas is about Someone, not all the somethings that I would be missing back in Minnesota. Christmas is Jesus' birthday party.

 I just had a birthday just last week. I understand what birthdays are like. I am just a 21 year old college student. Jesus is the King of the World. the Superhero of all superheros. The God of all gods. Of course he should get one heck of a birthday party. But we should stop thinking about US on HIS birthday! It makes no sense! 

Of course, this is the same message of every Christmas. "Remember the reason for the season." ..But I never quite understood it so clearly as I do now. Christmas should not be less awesome because I am away from gifts and family and Minnesota. Christmas should be of the same importance whether or not I am in my home, in Italy, or in Antarctica for that matter. Christ is the same all over the world. The fact that the God of the Universe sent his only son. ONLY Son. If I had one child, I would probably not want to give it over to a bunch of crazy loony people to kill it. That just doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense why God loves us in the first place. But the important thing is that he does. And he love us so ridiculously much that he was willing to do that - to give what probably meant the most to him as a sacrifice for all of us. The more I learn about God's love, the more it really doesn't make sense. But God's love is the same whether or not we celebrate it with Santa and reindeer or with fancy food or with chicken noodle soup. God just wants us to actually make the important things important. And on Christmas, the important thing is that He came! What a crazy awesome God we have.

A few of my favorite Christmas things: 

Gingerbread houses..and Christmas fun for archie nerds. 

Christmas lights..specifically the one house in Arden Hills that makes crazy light sculptures..
including globes, Nemo, the Eiffel Tower, and a dragon. 

I love the beauty of winter. 

Even RPI and Troy can look especially beautiful with a fresh snow.