Things I Love About Christmas 2011

* Blogger is giving me formatting grief

and I've decided to let it win.

Merry Christmas Blogger!*

I love:

Watching Christmas movies with Daddy

Christmas Music, especially when sung by my own little angels

Getting ready for guests (btw, dry erase markers rock!)

Nana's special Christmas ornaments with the fun memories written on the bottom.

Baking Christmas cookies with my little assistant

Pajama Parties with cousins

Stockings stuffed to overflowing

Special gifts that cause squeals and gasps

Snuggle time with loving grandparents

Enjoying friends

Quiet time together

A lesson in receiving gifts graciously

We had our Christmas celebration with my family today. My 6yo son received a rock from his cousin. He said thank you, tucked it into his pocket, and we all cooed over how cute their little exchange was.

Fast forward an hour and a half. My sister noticed that my little guy was sitting by himself and mentioned to me that he looked sad, so I went to sit by him. This was our conversation:

What's up?

I got a rock for Christmas.

Your cousin thought that was a really special rock and he gave it to you because he wanted to make you happy.

I know. It's just ... well ... nothing. It's a nice rock.

It is and I'm sure he would be glad to play with you. Why don't you go over and show him what you got from Nana. Hey, what did you get from Nana?

Nothing. I just got the rock.

You didn't get anything else? Are you sure?

I'm sure. This is all I got.

Really? Didn't you get another gift?

No, but, well, (big breath) that's okay. It's a nice rock.

I hugged my boy tight and quickly excused myself to go chat with Nana. Forgetting a child is Not something my mom would ever do. In fact, she is the person that we have to encourage to let go because she is so very concerned that things come out fair for all 12 kids. It took a bit of investigation, here's what we figured out -

Our family has 20 members, 12 of which are children, and we open gifts VERY slowly. Somehow one of the babies got into my son's gift, opened it and left the contents in the middle of the room. Everyone assumed that the toy belonged to someone else and by the time we got to the end of the gift exchange it felt as if we had been opening gifts for hours, so we thought we were all done.

He didn't say one negative thing. No complaints, no crying, not even a whispered "where's my gift?" Not a word. I wonder if I would have handled the situation that nicely.

Nana quickly figured out the mystery, tossed DS's gift back into a bag, and handed it to him.

You have NEVER EVER seen such a happy little boy, or a prouder momma.

I think I'm going to hang that rock on my Christmas tree. It taught me a pretty big lesson.

James 1:12

1st Cmas catalog

Our first christmas catalog of the year arrived this week.

The kids spent well over an hour circling their favorite items and I spent that hour drinking coffee and reading.

Aaahh...

Silent night - and day too

I have come down with a nasty virus that has left me with laryngitis. I can't speak.

I can barely squeak.

My poor husband needed to know that it was bedtime for the kids so, knowing that my voice is weird, I tried to scream it at him - he didn't even turn around. When I got up and walked the 4 feet I needed to cross to get to him I still had to speak in my "screaming" voice. He cocked his head and looked at me with a big question mark hanging above his head. His expression then turned to sympathy - then laughter. He understood what I needed, but I obviously looked like a crazy lady hollering in his face without making more than a whisper of a sound.

This is not the time of year to loose your voice.

• I can't sing carols in the car with the kids while we bustle about finishing up our holiday errands.
• I can't read all of those wonderful christmas books that we save for just this time of year.
• I can't participate in choir at church, which is performing on Sunday. So not happening.
• I can't do all of the wonderful holiday devotions that we started at the beginning of Advent.
• I can't teach - which the kids don't seem to mind.
• I can't even say an intelligible "thank you" to the cashier at the grocery store.

Maybe God is telling me something.

"Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Being still is not something I excel at. Sadly, this is especially true at this time of year. I am more of a mover, accomplisher, organizer, and planner. Hmm... I guess the best way to say it is that I am a controller. I think that the more I can get done on my own, the better life will be. No, I am not still enough. God is in control and I am not. He has plans that are better than mine and right now his plan is that I will have more time to practice listening to him for a while.

So if you see a crazy lady turning red from exertion and mouthing something in your direction, lean close. You might hear me whispering you a very heartfelt "Merry Christmas."

Christmas Photos

Unfortunately, to start at the beginning, I need to fill you in on the depressing part of our Christmas. We spent the 2 weeks before Christmas sick. Really S.I.C.K. Isn't this the most pitiful face you've ever seen? All three kids were in the doctor's office, and were on prescriptions. I actually had to keep a log of who received what and when because in my sleep deprived haze, I was having a hard time keeping track of everything.
The good news is that everyone was feeling much better by Christmas.

Christmas eve was spent in the traditional holiday frenzy. My husband spent a few hours extracting toys from their boxes, twist-ties, and those horrible sharp plastic things, while I bustled about baking, cleaning and trying to remember everything we were on the verge of forgetting.

• Did you pack the baby's diapers? - Check
• Don't forget to water the tree! - Check
• Did Santa eat his cookies? - Check
• Program the coffee maker! - Check
• Check to make sure all the stocking stuffers come out equal. - Check

I never realized how many tiny little details my parents had to handle to pull off Christmas every year. No wonder they always seemed just a bit sleepier than normal on Christmas morning (or maybe that was because my sister always woke us all up before dawn).

The kids all woke around 7:00 and we had some time to open our stockings before everyone came by for breakfast.

This is the teepee that Grandpa made for the kids. It started out with a pattern I showed him that was posted on Family Fun , but he made it so much better.

Christmas at our house always lasts at least two days. Because most of our family is in town, we spend the first day with one side, and the next with the other. So Much Fun! Here is Christmas Day part 2:

How's this for an excited face -

And thanks to my brother-in-law there is actually a photo of me. I swear someone is going to go through my photo albums one day, and there will be hardly any proof that I ever existed. I'm always the one behind the camera. :o)


Merry Christmas!

Glory to God in the highest!

There is nothing like a new baby to help you to realize just how amazing that first Christmas really was.
The reality of giving birth - in a stable!?! The joy of welcoming a tiny perfect being. The fear of having to flee to another country to keep that child safe. The joy of seeing your baby grow into a person with their own calling from God - one that you aren't sure that you are really comfortable with.

Mary's job as Jesus' mother amazes me. How do you raise your baby knowing that he is God? Really - how?

The bible tells the story this way in Luke:

The time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Simple Huh? She gave birth, and took care of her child - even though the circumstances were, quite literally, stinky.

Our baby is now 8 months old. She smiles, sits up, reaches for us, and loves to play peek-a-boo. She is adorable! But, she is also very dependent on us.

In all reality, the savior went through this same stage. He needed his mother to take care of him. We don't have any details about Jesus as an infant other than his birth, but I am just awed by the reality that he bothered with the whole thing at all. Can you imagine, being all knowing, all powerful God, and deciding to place yourself in a position that requires dependence on your own creation?

AMAZING!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like . . .

CHRISTMAS!!!

That song makes me think of my mom every time I hear it. She isn't someone who often sings spontaneously, but each time it snows in Nov/Dec, we are guaranteed to hear her happily sing at least the first line. It makes me smile every time. It is one of the great holiday traditions that she never knew she participated in I'm sure.

Every year our family has been adding new traditions to our December calendar. Here are a few of our highlights so far:

Ringing bells for the Salvation Army - such a simple way to allow kids to volunteer (and they do the job just as well, if not better than the adults)

Baby is still small for bell ringing, so we made her a make-shift crib out of a shopping cart. She got lots of comments that basically all sounded like "Awwwww"
Lots of crafts and parties! My sister's family threw a Birthday Party for Jesus last night, that was adorable. They filled an advent calendar with alternating readings, crafts, gifts, and activities. It was a great party, and the readings kept everyone focused on the birth of Christ. They did a great job!

Cookies!


We volunteered to put up the decorations at church this year. While busy hanging garland I gave the kids the task of setting up the Nativity. My little boy commented that there wasn't a donkey or camel in the set. Fast forward 15 minutes ... he asks for some animal crackers. I give him and his sister a snack. On our way out the door I was walking past the nativity scene and noticed tiny little animal crackers tucked into the stable. His comment - "Thats where they belong! The donkey is for Mary to ride on and they need the camel to carry all their things in case they need to run away from the king." I was trying to decide if I should allow him to leave the crackers when he suddenly scooped them up and put them in his mouth. Apparently the tender moment was over.

Our new event this year was going to chop down our own tree at a friend's house. The kids have always loved getting a tree locally, but this year they were especially excited. A wagon ride and a walk through the snow, what's not to love!


And just in case the song isn't already stuck in your head:


Lyrics | Johnny Mathis - It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas lyrics

Hallelujah!

At worship team last week we had a conversation about some of our favorite Christmas hymns. It is a bit sad that we know them so well, that we forget to think about the words. In particular, we discussed the amazing truths told in Handel's Messiah. What a powerful story!!!

So today, another friend forwarded this video to me.

It isn't exactly what we meant by focusing more on the words, but it certainly gave me a giggle.