From the Crazy Night Before to the Calm of Christmas Day

Funny, when I think about Christmas and how we spend it each year, the day/night before is always so jam-packed. It is wonderfully jam-packed with so many traditions of great delight and moments of sheer joy, but nonetheless, it is crazy!

On the flip side, Christmas day in our world is usually slow and peaceful. While we have the same sorts of traditions of great delight and moments of sheer joy, they are different...Santa came, and we spent the morning with just our immediate family...Queitly...Perfectly...We took our time and relished as the kids discovered their stockings.

And, we were able to just let them enjoy the things they received as well!They just played...ever so calmly...And, when we felt up to it, we headed out-of-town for our peaceful dinner with our extended family.It was nice to be where all of the stockings had been hung by the chimney with care...even uncle Kason's stocking!We exchanged a few gifts.Played a few of our favorite games.Some of us played things that others might perceive as crazy, but to us they were slow...I mean, we had to play slow when you are playing laser tag inside Gigi and K-Dan's house! (Please notice Uncle Justin hiding from G!)The little ones played babies...We made and decorated a birthday cake for Jesus...And ended the day - as we do each and every Christmas - with a celebration in HIS honor...remembering how we have come to have this great day of peace and perfection!And, as we fell asleep in our Gigi's arms, we remembered to say...

Happy, happy birthday Jesus, and Merry Christmas to all!

The Crazy Night Before Christmas

The night before Christmas is never too quiet in our house. I would say more of the opposite is true, in fact. After church there is the crazy opening of gifts...We always have a crazy good time with those that are dear to us!
Instead of getting in bed and getting ready for Santa to come, instead we crazily play in our kitchen with our friends!We spend a crazy amount of time making sugar cookies for Santa and his helpers...What I think is so crazy is that we really just let the 5 year old and the 2 year old just do this on their own! No need for parent supervision...right? No need watch how much of those sprinkles are really going on those cookies!I know this is crazy, but we also write letters to Santa and ALL 9 of his reindeer that guide him to our house! (G truly believes that you cannot forget anyone or Santa might firget you!) And, when the letters have been written you set them out with the cookies you spent that crazy time making and milk for the big red man!Yet, before you can get in bed, you must also run like crazy around the yard throwing out food for the reindeer. It is true that the night before Christmas is pretty crazy in our house, but truth be told, I do not think we would have it any other way!

Off to rest from the craziness!

My Favorite Service

Christmas Eve church is my favorite service of the year. Perhaps I should not have a favorite church service, but...well, I do! It is as if everything the season beholds is folded into that one hour for me, and the feelings that come over me in that time sustain me for the entire year...until next year's service that is! (I know church is not supposed to be about me, and I agree with that sentiment; however, sometimes...just sometimes...it is!)

We all attended the early service.

G and Ballerina sang!Well, G sang, and Ballerina...

Was the first on the stage!

However, she did not sing a single note!

Not even one!

G made up for Ballerina's lack of singing because we could hear him above all of the others! Oh, how he loves to be the center of attention! Ha!

My most favorite part of my favorite service of the year, however, was G's mortifying response to our pastor...He asked (rhetorically I would like to add) if any of us knew why we were gathered this evening. The church grew silent, and G shouted at the top of his lungs, "Jesus!" A part of me wanted to crawl under the pew, and the other part of me had never been prouder of anything in my entire life!

And then as our dear friends lit the Christ's Candle, he leaned over to me and said, "See Mom...it is the biggest advent party!"

The sermon was so good that I went back...alone...for the late service. There are times that one needs to worship "alone" - without the distractions of the kiddos, etc. There is NO PEACE like it!

'Tis IS the reason for the season, and to Him be the greatest glory!

Message From Santa

We have always believed in Santa at our house; however, this year we are particularly interested in some of the details about his existence.

For example, we have wondered how in the world he can really know if you have been bad or good...why there are so many "Santas" everywhere...how far away the North Pole is from Texas...if Rudolph's nose has a light or if it is like glow in the dark stickers...etc. However, of all the questions about Santa that have concerned G and Ballerina the most, how he was going to know what they wanted was their biggest concern!

Of course! That's my kids! Self-centered as always! Ha!

So, when Santa himself sent G and Ballerina a special video message straight from the North Pole, they were both VERY interested in each and every word!Ohhh...to have the anticipation of a child!

I do hope he brings everything they want this year!

The Sweetest Not-So-Silent Night

G had his school Christmas Pageant this past week,

and it was perhaps the most precious thing that I have never seen.

G was a shepherd...the cutest shepherd I have ever seen! And, the shepherd that told me as we were driving to the pageant when I asked what he was going to do, "Well, Mom, I am a shepherd and my friend Will is my sheep. He will need to follow me when I sing my songs."
(I wonder if Will knows this?!?)
And perhaps the proudest too!

Away in the Manger...He practiced for weeks in bed each night. I would get frustrated that he was still awake, but I never had the heart to tell him to quit singing!Yes, Jesus DOES love you!They also sang Silent Night. Above the almost 50 kids, I could heard G singing loud and clear! It made me giggle a little, but it warmed my heart a lot!
I watched as the little shepherds walked away...For the first time, G TRULY understands why we celebrate Christmas. He knows and understands that it Jesus' birthday; he is in awe of the Christmas story, and the is delighted by the majesty of the season.
This is MY
Christmas blessing!

Dear puppy,

Dear Puppy Roxanne,

Instead of writing Santa this year, I am writing you! There are so many things I want this year, but the thing I want the most only YOU can give me!

You see, we love you so very much! From the moment we saw you at Daddy's and my school, we knew we had to have you! It was as if it was fate for you to be ours... However, we are really struggling with the things that you are destroying in our house.

You have eaten through two kennels - a plastic AND a wire one closed with 50 zip ties...(Yes, you ate through this kennel and then got out of it...hurting yourself in the process!)

You have eaten our Christmas presents...And our sofa.Did I mention that you also ate our wall?What about my favorite boots...and Daddy's Crocs too?There was also the vacuum cleaner I had to put in the trash this morning...And, you did not even spare YOUR new pillow!I will not discuss the 2 loaves of bread, the entire box of cookies, the cat's food, and my Secret Santa stocking (Although it was a tu stocking, and I really do not blame you for tearing it to shreds!)...and SO, SO, SO much more!

Oh, dear puppy, we so love you...and we so wish that you would quit chewing too!

I know it might be a Christmas miracle, but we are keeping our hopes alive...

Much love,
Your owners