I sipped my hot, creamy latte and sighed happily as it warmed my tongue. A white chocolate latte can’t be beat!

“This is so good, thank you Love!” I squeezed Zach’s shoulder as we pulled out of the coffee shop drive through.

“You’re welcome! Glad you’re enjoying it,” Zach smiled as he sipped his own coffee. “Mmm my white chocolate mocha is good too! Want to try?”

We tried each others, and I chuckled, “I guess a white chocolate latte and a white chocolate mocha really are different! My latte has a stronger coffee flavor,” I remarked.

Zach nodded. “They are different! But both delicious. So where do you want to go to look at lights?”

I shrugged. “Well we could start downtown and see if there are pretty decorations down there?”

“Sounds good!”

We drove down the road in the cold January night.

It was the last day of Zach’s Christmas break. I’d been telling him mournfully how sad I was that it was ending, and that’s when he suggested we go for a little Christmas light tour before everyone tucked away the Christmas cheer until next year. I was delighted! Bundled up in our hats and scarves in Zach’s car (AKA the Blue Bullet), we settled in for a little drive around the cold snowy town. I’d grabbed a couple of sugar cookies from the freezer for us to snack on as well. And now the hot creamy coffees filled the car with a fragrant aroma.

“This is so cozy. Oh look, the courthouse is so pretty with all the Christmas lights!” I exclaimed. “Why can’t people just leave their lights up longer?” I whined. “We have a whole cold winter ahead of us. Why not allow the twinkling lights to stay up? It would brighten up the dark months ahead,” I sighed.

“I agree Love. It’s too bad the holidays aren’t more spaced out,” Zach drove us down another street, in search of more Christmas lights. Leaning my head against the seat of the car, I continued to sip my latte, feeling content. My thoughts drifted to the year we had just spent together.

While it was exciting to think of what 2021 might hold, I had not hated 2020 the way many people said they did. One of the biggest blessings of 2020 was getting to do it with Zach by my side. We’re both so grateful that we got married when we did in 2019, before all of the craziness hit. Being married allowed us to walk through many of the very hard moments of last year together, which is such a gift from God. 2020 definitely threw some painful curve-balls at us, and we don’t yet know what 2021 will hold. But we are so thankful for our savior Jesus Christ, with us every step of the way. And thankful for all the simple joys He has blessed us with. Sometimes something as simple as driving around, looking at Christmas lights and sipping coffee can bring such joy.

As we continued our cozy drive, we were delighted each time we discovered a beautifully lit house. No amount of darkness can overcome even the smallest light. Sometimes the hard moments of life can make the good times shine much brighter, no matter how small or simple they might be.

“I’m so thankful to be doing life with you,” I squeezed Zach’s hand.

“I’m very thankful to be doing life with you too, Love.”

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them a light has shone.”
Isaiah 9:2