How I Spent My Christmas Vacation

I don't know when I have enjoyed my family as much as I have these last two weeks. We've enjoyed some out of the ordinary family time...most documented by pictures.

We enjoyed a trip to The North Pole of Texas. A family in our community provides a North Pole atmosphere where they share the true story of Christmas, have a sweet train ride and and appearance from Santa. Hot chocolate warms the body after the 15 minute train ride. I don't know who enjoyed the outing better, the kids or Bruce and me.

We worshipped with our church family on Christmas Eve. This is my favorite service of the year.

We celebrated Jesus' birthday on Christmas Day.

We left the day after Christmas to head to Colorado to ski and spend time with 50 friends from church. 

 The snow was deep....

But that didn't keep us from having a great time!

I hope you and yours had a very Merry Christmas and are looking forward to a beautiful 2011.

Merry Christmas

I didn't get Christmas cards out this year and I feel bad about it. I have talked myself into doing one of those "letters" after the New Year and I am going to pretend that it was my plan all along! I didn't really run out of time, I had it. But when given the choice of cutting out paper snowflakes with my kids, or going to the North Pole of Texas with the family or spending time Christmas caroling (no matter how off key it was) with the teenagers at church, I decided the cards could wait...and wait....and wait. Then, I enlisted the help of Savannah. I signed 80 cards and Savannah practiced her cursive writing by writing the names of the recipient on each card. We got 80 cards done and we were only at the letter H. Whew! I was pretty much out of time to utilize the church post office so I reluctantly set aside the cards and pretended they would get done when they got done. And guess what? They never were completed. Funny how that happens.

So here's the plan....Hopefully in a few days, while I am in the beautiful state of Colorado, someone will snap a cute picture of my family all bundled up. Then I will make some great looking stationary with it and write a letter telling you all the little known details of our lives in 2010. Good enough??? I hope so...cause it's 11:14pm on Christmas day and the mail doesn't run tomorrow!

Truthfully, I haven't ever enjoyed a Christmas season the way I have this one. I felt more prepared (though not perfectly) and less stressed. There were only 3 days of the entire month of December that were crazy...that's better than normal everyday life around here! I am overwhelmingly grateful for the gentle reminders of the reason for the season these past few weeks. The opportunities that I was given to share the nativity story with my kids was something that I had prayed would happen. From cutting out the nativity from white copy paper to dressing up like the characters from Luke 2, the kids gave me a childlike perspective of the Christmas story. What a special time that was!

So now (11:26pm) with just a half an hour or so left before the official day of Christmas begins, I'm hoping my bloggy friends and family experience that same peace that came down over 2000 years ago....because if we there was ever a time we needed it, it's now.

Merry Christmas!

On Giving

Today I met a friend at the park and we enjoyed some chillin' conversation while our kids played for a couple of hours. Then we were met with a proposition from the church staff ...to deliver Christmas cards to the shut ins that were unable to pick up their cards from the church Christmas card post office. After dropping of a few of the kids, we piled the rest of them into the car and headed out to drop off the cards.

Before the third drop was made, the kids had already received candy from one of the recipients. The homebound engaged in conversation with the kids and welcomed the cards. You could tell it was a day brightener! It was so nice to see them smile as they opened the door to the kids and welcomed the cards.

It really doesn't take a lot to make someone's day. Many times I get so caught up in my own life and stuff that I don't make time to think about the things others might need outside my family. Something as little as delivering the cards to the shut-ins reminded me that even little thoughtful acts can brighten the life of someone who rarely is able to get out in public.

This has been a consuming thought in my mind recently. Being in ministry the last 17 years, people might get the idea that serving happily comes with the job. Contrary to that thought is the obvious truth that just because you perform a task doesn't mean it is done with an attitude of Christ. If I do a task with a poor attitude does it really count for Christ? Sure, God uses us in spite of ourselves sometimes, but how much more could really be done for the kingdom of God if our service was done with a cheerful, encouraging, smiling, joyful, servitude attitude? I wonder.

I was thinking about this as we drove around town, searching for houses, singing Christmas carols, enjoying the company of friends. God gives us these wonderful opportunities to share in His service and we rarely take the opportunity to jump in and enjoy them. Long faces, obligatory service and bad attitudes should take a back seat to the wonderful experience that serving God is. To see the smiles on the faces of those we took cards to was reward in itself for doing something that gained me nothing....or did it????

Smile!

Christmas 2010

Savannah and Tucker

BREAKING news

Hello Christmas Break,

I have been looking forward to your arrival for several weeks now. Seems I began getting impatient for you to get here about 10 days ago....probably about the same time as my kids began whining every morning before school . My usually happy children began the "I don't wanna go to school" chorus every morning at 7:00am and that's when I started wishing time would fly....or perhaps it was when the stomach virus hit our home. UGH.

Then a few days ago when I started getting irritated with little things I decided it must be because I was ready for you to arrive. And then when my house became the resting place for a hurricane I lost all control and cried for you. See, I really love you!

I'm looking forward to all you are bringing me. A clean house, smells of sweets baking, sounds of children laughing and playing and music to commemorate the season, tastes of fudge and chocolate dipped pretzels. Caroling, wrapping presents and celebrating Christ's birth and a trip to CO with 50 or so friends. You're being generous this year. Thank you!

I'll be a mess when you have to leave. January 4 will come way too soon. But thankfully this break will help erase exhaustion and replace it with renewed energy.

So...welcome. Please do not feel any need to hurry. Rest on my home.

Love,
Me

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas Programs

Christmas Parties

Christmas Crafts

Christmas Decorations

Christmas Foods

Christmas Cider

Christmas Baking

Christmas Caroling

Christmas Shopping

Christmas Packages

Christmas Stockings

Christmas Services

Christmas Traveling

....yes, these things keep me busy...but it is the Christmas Miracle...the revelation of a Christmas promised that keeps me focused.  Thank you God for your indescribable gift of Jesus!

Sick X 2

Well....so much for the kids participating in their church Christmas programs. Saturday night Tucker started running a crazy high fever and last night...Savannah. Poor things...their rosey red cheeks nearly glowed in the dark like Rudolph's nose. But...as bad as it is when they are sick, I wouldn't trade the extra snuggle time on the couch, the quiet hush that comes over the house while they sleep or the sweet way they murmur "Mommy" when they need something.

I wonder if that isn't a little how the Lord feels about His children. We've got the slime and sickness of sin all over us...making us ill and unable to care for ourselves. Yet, when we murmur the sweet name of Jesus...He's there- quicker than I could ever get to my own kids. Ready to wipe the tears, soothe the pain, clean us up and make us new and clean and whole. I am so thankful!!!

Christmas Is....

I was thinking of all the things Christmas means at our house and decided that there's really no one answer that is completely right...except of course JESUS. But, if your house is anything like mine Christmas includes lots of different things...here are a few of our favorite Christmas things:

1. Driving around looking at Christmas lights many times throughout the holidays.

2. Multiple manger scenes throughout the house that the kids can play with (a little side note that some manger scenes may have characters added to the scene...such as cowboys, Santa, stuffed snowman, John Deere tractors and fire trucks)

3. Decorating the family and fancy tree.

4. Christmas programs at church.

5. Christmas photo.

6. Elf on the Shelf.

7. Reading the Christmas story on Christmas Eve.

8. Making and setting out reindeer food on Christmas Eve.

9. Christmas baking for neighbors and friends.

10. Taking the kids to shop for each other.

11. Hallmark Christmas movies.

12. Letters to Santa.

13. Checking the mail for Christmas Cards and packages.

14. Adopting a family or child to buy for.

15. Sorting packages on Christmas Eve.

The list could go on and on. These things that make our Christmas season special are creating memories for our family.

How about your family? What's something special you do during the holidays to make it special?

Marathon Shopping Lessons

Yesterday Bruce and I escaped to do a marathon shopping trip in and around Dallas. 15 hours later we landed back home. Here are a few things I learned while away:

1. There are still nice, helpful and even over accommodating sales people out there. The elderly lady in the jewelry department at Macy's at Firewheel is the bomb.

2. Burger King is no longer selling their cheesy tots....this saddens me.

3. Some people feel that it is perfectly acceptable to parade through previously mentioned mall in their workout clothes. Respectfully might I submit that some people should not.

4. Wrapping paper is expensive.

5. When Bruce is ready to leave a store he stalks me. You know how it is....husband is ready to go so he follows close behind you and will like everything you show him if it means you are headed to the register to pay.

6. It's ok to pipe music in over loud speakers that has Jesus' name in it during this time of the year.

7. Garden Ridge Pottery is not just for pottery. Where else can you go pick out a Christmas tree, long underwear, luggage, movies, mattresses and pottery?

8. We need a GPS.

9. Cyber Monday is a great day to go shopping....no one is at the stores!

10. There is never enough time when it comes to shopping.

A Quick Christmas Craft

This morning I was browsing a few of my favorite creative blogs and I came across the paper banners that I sooooo love. I thought to my self, "Self, you can do this." So, I rummaged through my house, managed to get my finicky printer to work and presto...within 30 minutes had this:

Here's a close up (with all the imperfections) of one of the letters:

This is what I did: 

1. Print out letters (I was out of black ink....thus the rainbow of colors...but I kinda like it). I used a 650 size font and Bastia font. Use whatever you like. Cut out the letters. I left a small (uneven) white border.

2. I had a 12X12 pack of scrapbook cardstock that had 1 single hole punched at the top. I cut a random triangle and used it as a pattern for the 4 others that I needed. I made sure the hole punch was in the center of the top of the triangle. Glue the letters to the cardstock triangles.

3. Thread string, yarn, rope or whatever you like through the holes of your triangled letters. Be sure you put them in the right order. This might take longer if you allow your children to assist in the ordering of the letters ....just sayin'.

4. Space letters evenly and tie to nail or other surface. I had left over fabric from a rag garland I made last year and threaded it thru the hole punch for dimension and to add a little sturdiness. 

You could give it lots more embellishment if you like fancy smancy. I'm more simple primitive so this is it for me. 

Let me know if you try it. I'd love to see what you come up with!

My Christmas Wish List

Here's a few things I'm wishin' for this Christmas season:

1. Plenty of time to spend thinking about and teaching my kids more about the real spirit of Christmas...Jesus and His amazing birth!

2. Time to snuggle up and watch a few good Hallmark Christmas movies....you know...the ones that Bruce won't admit he watches with me :)

3. I want to find those perfect gifts for the special people on my list.

4. A house ready to receive guests.

5. To go Christmas caroling with friends.

6. To bake Christmas goodies for my neighbors.

7. To get packed for the after Christmas ski trip before the week of Christmas...so I can enjoy the days leading up to our Christmas celebration.

8. I'd like to leave my school classroom in tip top condition so I am prepared before we start the new year.

9. I'd love to wrap pretty packages this year.

10. Do something for someone who cannot do anything in return.

I'm sure there are many other things on my wish list..but for now I'll work on these.

What are you wishin' for this Christmas season?