Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Preparing for Christmas is a very important task for me. It isn't because I want everything to be just right on Christmas, or that we host a lot of people (we don't). Rather it is because for me I love to know that it is Christmas. Really know. If, however, I don't try to prepare for the day then I find that Christmas just sort of shoots on by just like every other day and then I feel as though I have missed it. So every year I try to prepare for Christmas and continue to tell myself that it is Christmas so that when the day comes I am fully prepared to seize the moment and relish in the holiday. My mother made Christmas a huge deal, and I want to make a big deal too. After all it isn't everyday that we can take aside and muse over all that God has done for us by sending us Jesus. If nothing else, I want my children to understand why Christmas is so important to me. As a result, we talk and walk Christmas for almost a month so that when Christmas Eve comes and we can start our celebration we all know why.

Here are some of the things that we did to prepare this year:

Elijah, Josiah and Andrew were in their very first Christmas Pageant. Directed by the beautiful and talented Alison Gervais this production shared the birth story of our Lord from the point of view of the donkey whom the writer affectionately named Clopper. Elijah played an adorable Clopper, while Josiah and Andrew were the cutest little wandering sheep you have ever seen.

Alas, this is the first year that I wasn't able to drag Tyler to Portland to walk the mall and watch all of the crazy shoppers go nuts over some stupid toy. We did, however, manage to get to Freeport for the Winter Sports Festival with the boys. LL Bean had setup a sliding slope and had made snow with a machine so that you could test out the snowshoes. The boys had a great time seeing the lights, people, and "fake" snow. 

Pageants, and shopping aside, we of course decorated our house for the holiday. Our decorations are what some would consider scarce, but I prefer to call it classy. Our home is not packed full of those cheap blow up santas and blasphemous air filled nativity scenes. Rather we have a few select decorations handed to us from my mother, aunt, and grandmother. Making our home festive and perfectly garnished for the Christmas season. This year we went all out and even decorated Caleb. 

I pray that your Christmas season is a wonderful time worshiping Jesus with family and friends. God bless you all and Merry Christmas!