Merry Christmas!!

I can't believe how fast 2009 flew by! It seems like yesterday we were having Christmas in this house, but now I will be having it with two little ones tomorrow, not just one! I don't know how I'll capture every little moment for my little newbie! It's going to be a great day. I have so many fun gifts to give this year--much work involved, but it's all going to be worth it. I've been trying as much as I can to stay focused on helping others and finding joy in the Lord this season, and I'll be honest and say the busyness surrounding the holiday can really be distracting! My minister challenged us in picturing and planning or worship, and I'm so glad he did. I've found that I do things a bit differently when Christ is at the forefront of my Christmas--all the way down to the gifts I make or buy for the people I care for. Our giving doesn't stop at our family, and I am so glad to give back to a community that raised me.

The stores were crazy, the traffic was worse, and I think for the first time, I would have really rather been home! I found joy in finding perfect gifts and getting ideas for the future, and now it will all culminate tomorrow. My worship will be ongoing and I want to continue for the rest of my life, really.
I saw a great idea recently that I am going to implement next year, and I will pass it on to you. I saw a Christmas tree decorated in bright colors with tool, ribbons, and gift boxes that had a sign on the front that read "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" What a fantastic idea!! I'll be decorating our tree very differently next year, and I'll probably be wrapping the Christmas presents as birthday presents. I love a nicely wrapped birthday present! Now, explaining Santa's birthday wrap to my 5 year old next year may be a challenge, but I'm sure I'll come up with something since Santa works for Jesus...haha!

Have an incredibly awesome Christmas tomorrow with your loved ones! Remember the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and what that means for us...our salvation! My minister also mentioned this (which makes me cry every time I think about it while looking at my son)... Jesus was that small once! He came into the world just like us even though he could have just appeared. My God, how Awesome You are to have chosen such a lowly birth and a raw existence. Learn to walk like we do, talk like we do, everything. He probably got hurt, skinned his knee, everything we experience with our own little ones. Mary, I'm sure, was SO proud of her baby boy. I can't even imagine what treasures she must have held in her heart throughout her life for that little boy, Jesus. What an amazing story and what amazing faith she had to be more than okay with it all!

Merry Christmas everyone!!