Merry Christmas

To all our friends and family.
Merry Christmas, may you remember the birthday boy this Christmas day!

My Take

It was getting to be dark when they arrived.
Fortunately there was enough light to guide them into the city and begin their search for a room.
It had a been a long journey and while thankful for the donkey Mary was ready to get off and walk around.

"Sorry, we're full"
"No room here"

Door after door and no room for them.

Finally a nice old man and his wife lead Mary and Joseph to the back of their home and showed them their stable. It was all they had and the young couple was thankful to have a place to stay.
The animals were already bedded down for the night as darkness had overtaken the town. Mary thanked the couple as she made her and Joseph's beds. They talked about the journey and got a kick out of the fact that they were sleeping in their own private "suite" with a beautiful view of the night sky through the stable window.

The sky was extra clear that night, each star seemed to jump out of it and twinkled it's way down to earth.

Mary woke up sometime after midnight.
Joseph heard her stir and knew something wasn't quite right.

She had a quick labor and even quicker delivery.
It was a boy! Just as the angel had said.
They named him Jesus and wrapped him in swaddling clothes. Mary held her baby close, smelling him, touching his little features and unwrapping him often to peak at his toes and knees, fingers and hands.

Silence filled the stable as the animals turned in their beds opening an eye to glance at the wonderful event that had just occurred. A baby sheep made his way to sniff at the new baby boy in the stable and mama sheep bleated a sound of joy!
Just as Mary lay her precious baby in the hay-layered manger the woman of the house led a handful of young ragamuffin shepherds to the stable.

Words were few, tears were many and a sense of a victorious life and a changed world filled the air.

The young shepherds, overflowing with excitement, scurried off singing, dancing and clapping the whole way back to their watch in the fields. The inn-keepers wife slipped back into her bed, the animals settled back down and Mary sat quietly reflecting on all that had happened. Joseph nodded off to sleep and a smile appeared on Mary's face. Her heart was warm with love with peace and that new sense of expectancy, joy and surrealness that comes to a mother when she stares at her baby those first hours.

Finally after feeding her little one Mary slips off to sleep.
All was quiet and calm when daybreak came.
All were sleeping, except this little baby.
This precious little one lay in that manager taking in the sights, sounds and smells of this world and He instantly fell in love.
As the world slept He was loving it already.
A love that remains today.
A love we can all experience.

That is how I imagine the first Christmas Eve to have been.
May your Christmas Eve and Christmas Day be filled with love, joy, peace and a renewed sense of what our Saviour was sent for.
Luke 2

I Never Read About This In Any Parenting Book

Holiday traditions are fun and my kids always loved them.
Until this year.
Neither boy wants to go on our annual Christmas lights drive, sniff, sniff.
Sure, they are ready for the Christmas Eve family and Christmas Day traditions but this one has fallen by the wayside.

We are choosing to not make them go but instead make it a date night for Steve and I.

Yet another thing omitted from all those darn parenting books I've read.

Chirstmas Traditions

Justin as a shepherd in the annual Living Nativity.

I'm Not As Grinchy As I Say I Am

Making ornaments with the home school group. Please notice it's just the moms. The kids crafted for the shortest amount of time they have ever crafted. We have been together for 5 or 6 years and combined our 13 kids are all teens and no longer craft like they use to. We had a blast!
At the local Christ ms parade with Jess. Love her. Nuff said. Although gotta be honest we've had better pictures taken.

Justin dressed as a shepherd in the parade.

See I do like the holidays!

Tell People You Have No Christmas Tree Up 7 Days Before Christmas, It's Fun!

I have never had so many people think I'm a mess than right now in my life.

Apparently not having Christmas decorations or a tree up 7 days before Christmas is sacrilege and a way to get people to think you're an emotional mess.

It's also fun to get a rile out of people *smile*

Here are a few random thoughts I've had about the Holiday Season this year:

Thought #1: Why the heck do we talk about having the Christmas Spirit all year and wish it would be so, yet we move along after the tree is down and forget all the fun "wishy stuff" we said? maybe we don't forget about it but we certainly talk a lot less about it. Does the tree and music and cookies and garland really make everyone want to be kind and loving? Honestly it makes me want to puke sometimes. I would guess my total cost of Christmas, gifts, food etc costs what it would cost to rehabilitate and repair a well in Liberia or Haiti. When I see the crap all over the place I think of that. What are we spending our money on that has lasting value?

Thought #2: What is the purpose of decorating a month before the actual day of Christ's birth? My mother-in-law keeps her nativity scene up all year round. That's makes a little more sense to me.

Thought #3: why would I decorate for Christmas when December birthdays precede the holiday? How about we do one thing, then move on to the next? Just sayin'.

Thought #4: Why is alright to eat and gorge ourselves all in the name of Christ's birth. I'm sure Jesus is looking down from heaven all happy that we're drowning our Christmas Spirit in the "white devil" itself= SUGAR! or maybe for you it's eggnog with rum. Gluttony, one of the more accepted and maybe even promoted "sins" in the church.

Pics of my favorite "white devil" cookies packaged for friends this year.

Thought #5: Why is it alright at Christmas time to spend money on stupid gifts for a white elephant exchange that will just be thrown into the trash. Yeah, for real I can not bring a "real" gift to the gift exchange this year. I am having trouble with this and quite frankly will probably bring something practical. I don't want to win a funny booger throwing gizmo that was made by child labor in a sweat shop of Asia. Again if this season is about our Savior, why are we exchanging crappy gifts?

Thought #6: It is more fun to not decorate and hear all the advice you get when not doing so.

Thought #7: Have we been brainwashed to think we have to decorate early? I remember the days when Christmas decorations were rolled out the week of Thanksgiving, this year I was looking at ornaments in mid-October. What is that about? Oh I know, it's about commercialism. The advertisers are not stupid, they know advertising is a lot more than colorful colors and shiny packaging. It's about emotion and getting your/our money.

Thought #8: Back to the Christmas Spirit. While it is a lovely time of year and I do enjoy Christmas, let's not forget this is the time of the year when depression escalates and suicides soar. Is that the Christmas Spirit we want to continue throughout the year?

Thought #9: I need to stop biting my nails. Sorry that had nothing to do with Christmas just thought I'd throw that in.

and lastly thought #10: It is our family tradition to not decorate before Steve's birthday on the 16th of December. It's just what we do. My tree will go up, the decor will come out and after 2 weeks it will all go back in the box with the other plastic and wait for it's grand entrance next year. I love the holidays and couldn't ask for a more wonderful family (immediate and extended), I enjoy Christmas music and Christmas movies. Our family has tons of traditions packed into this time of year and it really rocks! I am thrilled that we are celebrating Jesus' birthday- even if we are probably several months off on the date. I love Christmas, Thanksgiving, gift giving, cookie making, tree decorating and driving around looking at the pretty lights.

I just think of a lot of other things as well.

Love you all, will post tree pics when it's up.

In the meantime check out last years tree set-up. The music was removed, due to copyright, thanks youtube; but enjoy it anyway!

Random Post with Links to My Other Blogs

Wow, it's Tuesday already, where did the days go?

Funny thing is I haven't been too busy.
I have been spending more time at home focusing on Justin's studies and the dishes and laundry and even a little fit one sfternoon- oops.

I have also been avoiding a much needed office organize and my Christmas boxes are still in the attic.

Steve is doing much better, his back still aches but it's an ache that's been around since pre-accident. He goes back to the dr next week.

Well not much to say, I've posted on my kitchen and gardening blogs today and have been working on the tangible side of Vintage Sheet here at home.

Hopefully I'll have some Christmas pics to post soon- not sure why the lack of Christmas excitement this year?!
Have a great day!