Stacey and Josh got married in April and I had the pleasure of photographing their wedding!!! We decided not to share their photos yet as they have been submitted for publication - but, it should be soon!

Christmas Eve is a magical day and every year, I stretch it a little more to see how many friends, family and food I can fit into one day. It is filled with loved ones, anticipation for Christmas Day and the wonder and miracle of our Savior’s birth. The evening begins with the Candlelight service at Hyde Park Presbyterian Church. My favorite part of the service is at the end when candles are lit at the front of the church and the light is spread to each individual candle. I’ve heard it so many times that I can practically recite the words when the pastor begins…

“Two thousand years ago God tiptoed down the stair steps of heaven with a baby in his arms.  The true light that enlightens every person was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not.  He came to his own home and his own people received him not.  But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.  ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.  And we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.’ (John’s Gospel, 1:14)

Hark now, hear the angels sing,

A new king is born today.

And man will live forevermore,

Because of Christmas Day.

We follow with the singing of “Silent Night” and the sanctuary is filled with the incredible glowing candlelight. When I was younger, I spent most of this song monitoring the wax on my candle to make sure it didn’t drip onto the clothes of me, my sister, or the pews. Now that I am older and realize what the light respresents, I reflect on what Christmas means and how the light of Jesus and his salvation is spread to each of us. After the service, we head home and have our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of Spanish Bean Soup (my Dad makes the BEST) and Cuban sandwiches. When dinner is finished, we light the advent wreath and the Christ candle. My sister and I would take turns each year lighting the coveted candle that symbolizes the birth of Jesus. The night would end watching “A Christmas Carol” or other Christmas movie and Becky and I would head to bed with anticipation of the next day.

Now that I am married, and my sister is in Baltimore with a family of her own, Christmas Eve is not quite the same, but Josh and I still attend the candlelight service with my parents and I look forward to the day (hopefully a ways off from now) where my own children can experience the wonder and beauty of the Christmas Eve Candlelight service.

See 2010′s Eleven Pipers Piping: Jeff