Christmas is my favorite! As soon as Christmas songs start playing on the radio, it’s impossible to stop the waves of nostalgia that flood my mind. The memories of my childhood Christmases are too many to count. 

Growing up, my family celebrated Christmas morning like an Olympic sport. We planned for it. We trained for it. We discussed what time we’d wake up the night before, and it wasn’t unusual to set an agreed upon start time of 3:00 AM.  Christmas morning was always completely magical.

And a magical Christmas morning was exactly what I envisioned for my own kids when I became a mom. But if I’ve learned anything from parenting (or just living in general) sometimes things don’t always go as we envision. 

It was December 2007. My three-year-old was obsessed with princesses. One evening she raced into our bedroom and confidently announced what she was going to ask Santa for.

“I want a Belle dress, a Cinderella dress, a Snow White dress, a Tinkerbelle dress, a Ariel dress, and shoes and necklaces.” 

Just for a moment, let’s ignore the obvious fact that there was some intense consumerism at work in her little mind. We were on a strict budget, so there was no way she was getting all of that. 

But I was also torn. I desperately wanted to give her that magical Christmas morning experience that was such a special part of my own childhood.

As luck would have it, a few days later I found a toy catalog featuring a “24 piece Disney Dress Up” set! There were four different princess dresses, AND they came with shoes and accessories! The price was somewhat reasonable, and I ordered it on the spot. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, I checked off the biggest gift hurdle on my list and rested easy knowing she was going to be beside herself with joy on Christmas morning.

Several days later, the package arrived in the mail. I opened it up in my bedroom (door locked, of course). About that time, the old saying “You get what you pay for” came to mind. As I stood there in my bedroom holding multiple pieces of dresses, my vision of a magical Christmas morning imploded. I guess I should have paid closer attention to the part of the description that mentioned “24 pieces.”

Yes. There were pieces of clothing: 3 skirts and 4 tops. Not flowing princess gowns, but pieces of dresses made from thin and likely flammable fabric. Apparently the child was expected to piece together her own ensemble that maybe, kind of sort of, looked like a princess dress.

Christmas was just days away, and part of me was hopeful she wouldn’t notice. Bless my heart.

On Christmas morning, we displayed the dresses on the floor and hoped for the best. After entering the living room, she raced over to them, scooping them into her arms. Unfortunately, she is very smart and also has eyeballs, so after a few seconds, the jig was up. 

She stood there, holding a shirt in one hand and a skirt in the other. After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke. 

“Um, actually…I didn’t ask for shirts.”

It was like a knife through my heart. Despite our best efforts and precise arranging of those pieces, we couldn’t fool a 3 year old obsessed with princess dresses.

But then something completely unexpected happened. After a few minutes, she began holding up each piece individually, saying things like, “How beautiful!” and, “It’s just gorgeous!”

This is one of our favorite family Christmas stories to tell. It’s so depressingly hilarious. But the more I think about it, the more it totally lines up with the emotions so many of us feel when we face disappointment.

We might also find ourselves just standing there, staring in disbelief, saying, “Ummmm….I didn’t actually ask for this.” Turning disappointment into gratitude doesn’t come naturally in all circumstances.

But the truth is, God is working in all circumstances. He promises that “everything (will) work together for the good of those who love (Him) and are called according to his purpose…” (Romans 8:28) 

I’m not comparing life’s weighty disappointments to a set of dress-up clothes. I’m also not saying we should all just turn that frown upside down and be glad about whatever cards we’ve been dealt. 

But I love to look at my daughter’s example as a way to remind myself that if I seek God in ALL circumstances and trust that He will work things for my good and for His glory, then I can begin to let my disappointments coexist with peace. 

If you’re wrestling with unmet expectations or simply living in disappointing circumstances that you desperately wish were different, remember that God is present in that situation. 

Jesus is truly our Prince of Peace. 

He’s Immanuel….God With Us.