Christmas 2018 was unlike any other for me. It fell right in the middle of my pregnancy with our son, Lincoln. Between my eagerness and excitement for what was to come and my mother’s own joy and anticipation for her first grandchild, it seemed that almost every day from Thanksgiving to Christmas, something showed up at our house for the new baby’s nursery. I spent the whole holiday season quite literally preparing his room.
My husband and I painted the walls and the trim, we put together the dresser and the sweet white crib, and I painstakingly scoured the internet for a perfectly-sized bench cushion to go underneath the window, where I pictured us snuggling our little guy while we read to him. However, I think what I was the most excited about was the nursery chair. After visiting the homes of a few friends who had recently had babies, and sitting in their nursery chairs, I realized that I had a few non-negotiable requirements. I was desperate to find a chair that rocked (but could also be locked to stay in one place), one that reclined (but would still allow you to rock while in a reclined position), and one that came up high enough that even a six-foot tall mom could lay her head back and rest while holding a little one during the wee hours of the morning. Sounds simple enough, right?
When I finally found a chair that met, and even exceeded, my expectations, I was elated—Lincoln’s room was finally complete. My in-laws kindly gifted it to us for Christmas. Once it was put together, I found myself spending time in the nursery chair just rocking and holding my growing belly while dreaming of all that would change in the months to come. That chair became the place where I went to talk to my baby and to pray for him. I treasured these still moments where my to-do list faded away and I could focus on preparing my heart for my baby’s arrival, rather than just preparing my home.
As we draw near to Christmas Eve, I encourage you to try to take a break from all of the chaos of the season to really reflect on the joy of the good news of Jesus. Find your favorite, most comfortable chair and read the Christmas story in the gospel of Luke. I hope you’ll find that this act of “preparing Him room” really does open your heart to fully receive the blessing of Christmas.
Morgan Jones, Hospitality Coordinator
