Glad Tidings of Great Joy

Is it possible for Christmas to get better every year?

This was our 4th year to not have gifts under the tree on Christmas morning.

I guess it's kinda complicated to explain to those that don't understand.

No Stockings. No exchanging gifts. No Christmas tree. Definitely no Santa.

For me, it means replacing stress with peace, which is so difficult to look around and see this time of year. We sing songs of Joy, but are we stopping to experience that Joy? We sing songs of Peace, but are we resting in the Peace which passes all understanding - and focusing on Him alone?

It means that my focus changes. Instead of giving to those that already have too much, I'm giving to those that do without. And this means I'm exchanging gifts with the One who should really be getting the gifts anyway.

He Alone is the reason that we celebrate.

This year, I kept my mouth closed, and I listened. I asked people how they were doing.

"I'm doing good, but I just have so much shopping left to do. I was hoping that I would be done by now so that I could just enjoy the rest of December."

I had to sit back and praise God. I was listening to so many people tell me how stressed out they were, and I was just so thankful. Thankful that instead of all of the stress, I got to sit back, relax, and enjoy my Savior...and teach my children to do the same.

My prayer this month was that others may experience what I have been experiencing.

Love. Joy. Peace.

no strings attached.

yes, even at Christmas. Especially at Christmas.

Throughout December we did the Jesse Tree - reading scriptures that told the story of God's Redemption of his people - through the prophesies and the lineage of Christ.

Bella loved figuring out which symbol ornament went with the scriptures we read.

Balian loved turning on the lights of the tree, getting the box of ornaments out, and stacking the ornaments to make towers.

But even in the midst of making towers, the kids were learning. When Balian was praying one night he mentioned something about Adam and Eve. I couldn't make out everything, but at least he was catching on to something. And he was getting so excited about putting baby Jesus on the tree...Christmas Eve it was like he just couldn't stand the anticipation. The mention of the name Jesus, and he was running to the box to get the baby Jesus ornament out. He was excited.

I taught the kids about St. Nicholas. The real one. We talked about how St. Nicholas gave to people that had needs - like food, money to pay taxes, etc. - because he loved Jesus. We talked about how we should do the same.

To Celebrate St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6), I asked Bella if she could help me go through her toys to see if there were any toys that she didn't play with anymore, or that she simply didn't want. I explained that there are some little boys and girls that don't have very many (if any) toys to play with - and that she has a LOT of toys. God wants us to share what we have with others that don't have as much. My daughter has such a giving heart! I think she would have given away ALL of her toys if I hadn't told her she couldn't! After going through them all, the toys we decided to part with went under the Jesse Tree - our gifts to Jesus - by giving to those that don't have as much. (we donated them later.)

We also watched the Veggie-tales video about St. Nicholas. It's actually very good, and I have to admit that I had to keep myself from crying at the end of it a couple of times...

We talked about Jesus' birthday all month long. Bella dressed up, put veils on her head, and acted out the story of Christmas, while pretending to be Mary - using her baby dolls for baby Jesus.

Bella never referred to December 25 as Christmas. It was always "Jesus' Birthday."

We did talk about Santa, and how he (gasp!) isn't real. Some people think that he is real, but he isn't. He is pretend - just like Rapunzel. A story. And although there are books, toys, movies, and games all about both Santa and Rapunzel, they are both pretend. Not the truth.

Jesus is the Truth. Jesus is why we have Christmas. It's His Birthday - just like we all have a birthday.

We talked about gifts. We get presents on our birthday. We give presents to people on their birthdays - because we are happy that they are alive so that we can love them. That is their special day. Would Bella like it if on her birthday everybody gave Balian presents? I wonder if Jesus feels the same way...

In the midst of all of this, Neil and I prayed, as we always do, about what gift our family could give Jesus for His birthday this year. How did he want us to serve him - to be his hands and feet?

And he led us right to where he wanted us to be. A place we probably never would have gone otherwise. I remember getting off of the phone after figuring everything out, and tears were running down my face as I was talking to Neil about the opportunity that God had given us. I was beyond words. In the midst of giving, Jesus was giving to us - filling our hearts to overflowing. And as we experience this pouring out, we're getting addicted to it. We want more. We want to do more. We want to give more.

And we do.

No it shouldn't (and doesn't) just happen at Christmas. But there is something thirst-quenching about giving to the Lord on His day. Bringing our gifts, and bowing down before the King - presenting them to Him in a posture of Worship. Like the Wise Men did so long ago, we give gifts to the One who deserves the Praise.

We celebrated Him.

We were Blessed to have my brother, Brandon, with us this year for our Jesus Celebration. It was so good to spend time with him. catch up. Talk about the Lord like we never have before. The change that I've seen in him - the way he's growing in the Lord. My heart is full of Joy. I'm overflowing. Thank you, Jesus.

We made and decorated a Birthday cake, and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.

We watched St. Nicholas...again...

We did a scavenger hunt - searching for baby Jesus. We used Scripture, and did activities, and with each step understood more about God's love story. At the end of our journey, we found baby Jesus, wrapped in strips of cloth - in a stable, with the animals. So unfitting for my King.

Bella and Balian took turns holding baby Jesus, and were so, so gentle.

The wonder of Christmas, for me, no longer lies in children's faces as they see a big Christmas tree or see what Santa brought them on Christmas morning.

The wonder of Christmas lies in children's faces as they come one step closer to knowing their Savior.

We read the Christmas story again, from Luke, Chapter 2, and we FINALLY put our baby Jesus ornament on the top of the Jesse Tree.

I listen to their beautiful voices as we sing praise - and worship together as a family - celebrating the birth of Jesus. God humbling himself to be like one of us.  The Lamb without blemish - born to lay down his life.  To experience the separation from God and the full measure of God's wrath that we deserve.  That I deserve. To save us ALL.  Once.  Forever.

Joy to the world!

The Lord has come!

Let Earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare him room!

Let Heaven and nature sing!!!

Happy Birthday, Jesus! We give you all the Glory!!

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

For those that don't know, the season of Advent started on Sunday.  Advent is the season where we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ's coming.  We reflect on the meaning of Christ becoming flesh.  We read the Love Story that God unfolded, and had planned since the beginning of time.  It's so easy to get caught up in all of the "festivities" that surround Christmastime, and neglect the very thing that is the most important - worship and adoration of the Savior Himself.  That's why I love Advent.  It helps me to slow down, reflect, worship, pray, and serve - all while anticipating the celebration that is to come.

I've gotten tons of questions lately about the Jesse Tree.  I love the questions, because I am so excited that a lot of our friends have decided to start doing the Jesse Tree with their families this year.  I just love this tradition.  Starting the first day of Advent, you read a passage of scripture together as a family, then hang a corresponding ornament on your Jesse Tree.  The readings go through the promises that God made to his people, the lineage of Christ, and the prophesies about Christ, all leading up to Jesus' birth.  The Jesse Tree gets its name from the Messianic prophesy in Isaiah 11, that starts with "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit..."

Where do you get a Jesse Tree?
There are people that sell the whole package or just the ornaments, or just a booklet of readings and information on Etsy.  Most are done out of felt and done like a banner that you hang on your wall.  This is what I grew up using, only my mom made ours.  You could also do what we've done, and use the Christmas tree that you already have.  Instead of using it as a "Christmas tree", we still put it up, put lights on it (Jesus is the light of the world) and put an angel on top (Announcing the Coming of the Lord), then only put our Jesse tree ornaments on it.  So, it starts out with only lights and gets one ornament added every night.  I also handmade my ornaments out of wooden circles and squares that I got at a craft store, used paint pens to draw pictures on them, drilled holes in the tops, and put wire through them to make hooks to hang them.  Want to do the Jesse tree but really want to save money?  Go get a big branch out of your backyard, draw pictures on paper circles, and put some yarn through them.  yep.  that works too.

You want Scripture verses to read?
There are so many scripture readings that you could use.  What each family uses differs greatly.  If you look it up, you'll get lots of different passages.  This is the list that we use, which are the same readings that I grew up with.  Add or subtract passages as you wish, change up the order to mix up old testament and new testament...just remember the most passages you should use is 28, because  at most, Advent is 4 full weeks.

Week 1:
 Jeremiah 33: 14-16 Jesse Tree Prophesy (tree branch)
Genesis 1:1-2:4a Creation (world and clouds)
Gen. 2:4b-7 Creation of Man (mud man)
Gen. 2:8-17 Where man lives (tree and flowers)
Gen. 2:18-24 Creation of Woman (lumber lady)
Gen. 3:1-7 The Fall (serpent and apple)
Gen. 3:8-24 The Result (flaming sword)

Week 2:
Gen 4: 1-16 Cain and Able (Man torn from man)
Gen. 6:5-9; 7:1-5,10, 17-23; 8:6-13 The Flood (ark)
Gen. 9:1-17 Noah's covenant (Rainbow)
Gen. 11:1-9 Tower of Babel (*says people torn from people.  We use the tower as a symbol.)
Gen. 12:1-7; 15:5-6 (*says tent, but we use a sky full of stars)
Gen. 22:1-18 Sacrifice of Issac (lamb)
Gen. 28:10-22 Jacobs Dream (ladder)

Week 3:
Gen. 37:1-35 Selling of Joseph (coat)
Ex. 3:1-18 Moses' call (burning bush)
Ex. 20:1-17 Law of the Covenant (tablets/10 commandments)
1 Sam. 3:1-20 Samuel, first Prophet (lamp)
1 Sam. 9:15-17,25-10:1 Saul, first king (oil flask)
1 Sam. 16:1-13 Jesse's son (branch with flowers)
1 Sam. 16:14-23 David (harp)

Week 4:
1 Kings 3:3-28 Solomon (justice scales)
Micah 5:2-4 Bethlehem prophesy (town)
Jeremiah 23:2-8 people-shepherd prophesy (shepherd's crook)
Isaiah 9:2-7 Messiah-king prophesy (crown)
Isaiah 11:1-10 Messianic age prophesy (branch with fruit)
Matthew 1:18-25 Annunciation and expectation (angel)
Luke 2:1-21 Nativity evening (baby)

And now...worship.
  For a lot of years now, this has been my favorite Advent song.  It's an updated version of the hymn that's actually really good and speaks to my heart every time I listen to it.  I hope you enjoy!!

What About Christmas?

So I've gotten a lot of questions this year about Christmas and what we do in our family to celebrate. Considering it's our first year to be in Texas and around our new friends, it makes sense. Of course, most don't really expect the answers that I give them...
2 years ago I posted a poem that I wrote about Christmas (you can read my poem here.)
This year, we've been more focused on making other new Christmas traditions. How do we really teach our kids about giving - Giving to the Lord as He gave to us - giving to those in need the things that they need - and that giving is sometimes a sacrifice? How do we replace what we have always known with something new that transforms not only ourselves and our family, but also the world around us?
My friend, Skylar, posted this video on her blog last year that kinda puts things into perspective:

Here's kind of a Q&A, based on the questions I've gotten. It's just meant to explain what we do and why. That doesn't mean we're perfect or we've got it all together - that's totally not the case. We're a work in progress, and we're just trying to do our best.
Do you do Santa? no. We will teach our kids about St. Nicholas - the man that snuck around and put alms in people's shoes and stockings as they were hanging to dry - because they desperately needed the money. He didn't want to take any credit, he just wanted to give as Christ gave. He saw a need, had the means to meet that need, and met it. We want to teach that we give to those who need because that's what Christ wants us to do - not just during Christmas but all year long. How what this man did got turned into what "Santa" is now... I have no clue...
So do you give gifts at all? Our immediate family (Neil, Bella, Balian, and I) don't exchange gifts at all at this point.
why? First off, Neil and I both realized that even though our parents tried their hardest to teach us that Chirstmas was all about Jesus, all we really cared about on Christmas morning was what we were getting. the gifts. not Christ. I know that a lot of people say that we give gifts because the wise men brought Jesus gifts. But to me, that's just the point. They came to give gifts to Jesus - the Christ, the long-expected Messiah - because of who He was. He is worthy of everything we have to give him. But do you notice how nothing was given by the wise men to Mary and Joseph? Although their faith and lives were a pivitol part of the story, they weren't the main event. Jesus was. It seems to me that all of the gifts we give each other just take away from that. What do we really give to Christ on Christmas? Is He really our focus? These are questions that we had to ask ourselves and answer truthfully, without justification...and sadly, our answers were pathetic.
So what do you do instead? We do the Jesse Tree during Advent (see here for info - scroll down to #1), we go to church, we worship together as a family, make a birthday cake for Jesus and sing to him on Christmas day, and we find ways to serve and to give. These traditions are still in the making as well. We're kinda starting from scratch here, so these things take some time. A friend of mine gave me an idea of doing a Christamas scavenger hunt with the kids on Christmas morning that revolves around Scripture. I really like this idea. we may try it out. I also just read about a really neat family tradition: Putting a big box (open and wrapped) by the tree labeled "For the children who have nothing." During the month of December the kids were to carefully think about what toys, etc.they had that they didn't need anymore. They gather them up, clean them up, and put them in the box. Then the toys are given away. You can read more about this and other ideas here.
what about extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.)? yeah...we're still in the process of trying to figure all of that out. It's hard to do things differently without making others feel like they have to change things as well. We don't want to interfere with the way others want to celebrate Christmas. We don't want to push what we do onto others. We just want to spend time with friends and family, while also being consistent in what we are teaching our kids and experiencing ourselves. We're trying to figure out the best solution for that, but haven't really come up with it yet.
The hard part is helping others realize that it isn't that we're scrooges. we aren't stingy. It's not that we just don't want to spend money or give gifts. (but seriously - do we really need them?) We love our families and want to give to them because we love them...we just feel like that should happen on a different day. In our family, we do birthdays big, because that is the day we can celebrate that one person. Christmas is Jesus' day. We want to give to Him. Give him the Glory, the Honor, and Praise. But we also want to literally give to him. How do we do that? Look up Matthew 25 (starting in verse 31) "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me." Christmas shouldn't be the only time that we give to those in need or serve God's people. But shouldn't we at least give him that on his day?

Christmas Break

Ok, so here's the story of our Christmas stand-down (Christmas break for you non-Navy folk):

We flew in on Christmas Adam (Heather's term...Adam came before Eve... Dec. 23)

We went to mass with my family on Christmas Eve - and Bella successfully sat (stood, crawled...) through her first entire church service - and it was MASS!!

Here's Neil and I Christmas Eve Night at St. Mark's:

Here's my Dad and Bella...Dad is in a choir robe for those wondering, and he's pointing to the Nativity scene...showing Bella Baby Jesus.

This is my cousin Jenn and her daughter Kaylee. Kaylee is almost 5 months now...and has grown a lot since the last time her picture was posted here (see Sept. 08). Beautiful Girls.

So we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family, then drove to Dry Prong, LA (Prospect Community actually...) the day after Christmas to spend time with Neil's Family. We also got to see some long-time friends we haven't seen in a while.

This is Maryann. Awesome Girl. College Best Friend. Bridesmaid in our wedding. We talk and it's like time and distance never happened. She still challenges me in my walk just as much as she did when we saw each other all the time. She's the new youth minister at First United Methodist in Pineville. Isn't she beautiful??

This is Bella's new friend, Kaitlyn. Daughter of Brent and Michelle Sawyer. Brent was a groomsman in our wedding. Kaitlyn Just celebrated her first Birthday - Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!

On our way back to Dallas from Louisiana, we had to stop in Tyler, TX for som Bodacious BBQ. Just. Plain. Texas. Good. YUM!!! After we ate, we spent some time playing around outside the resturaunt to get some blood flowing...and to keep Bella from feeling so trapped.

When we got back to Texas, we spent a couple more days with my family. One of those days was spent going to Glenn Rose and Granbury, TX. There is a nuclear power plant in Glenn Rose, and we wanted to check out the town to see if it was a place where we may want to live. It's seriously perfect! Granbury is about 20 min. from the plant. It has one small, cute downtown square area.

Here we are at an ice cream shop that Dad said he and Mom used to take us girls to every time we passed through Granbury. We had RootBeer floats. Bella's first RootBeer float experience, and obviously...it was a good one!

other than the downtown area, it has one street that has tons of resources - Walmart, clothes stores, another grocery store, a bookstore, etc. But that's it! The rest of the place is country...and I can't forget to mention the absolutely beautiful LAKE in the middle of the town. seriously beautiful. So...country for Neil...resources for me...cute downtown...an hour away from my parent's house. About 30 min. SW of the westernmost part of Ft. Worth...we're trying not to get too excited about it this early...but it's hard...

This is Dad and Bella at a playground we "happened upon" in Glen Rose... Dinosaur Valley Park is in Glen Rose, so this playground was completely Dinosaur themed. kinda cute.

We got back to Georgia on Jan 2. and it's been kinda crazy since then.... but, until next time...

New Traditions

Today is all about new Christmas traditions.
I mentioned a couple of posts ago that our family is doing Christmas a bit differently this year. Well, there are a lot of things that are different, actually.

First of all, we aren't exchanging gifts this year. There are many reasons for this, but let's focus on the main reason. Growing up, it didn't matter that my parents told me time and time again that Christmas was about Christ's birth. It didn't matter that we went to church every Christmas Eve to celebrate that fact, and I always sang a solo of Oh Holy Night. It didn't matter that we did things as a family to prepare ourselves for the celebration of Christ's birth. It didn't matter that we always adopted an "Angel Tree" family and helped deliver gifts to people in need - teaching us that Christmas was about Giving rather than getting, and that we should help out those that are less fortunate than ourselves. All of these things were amazing, and I give props to my parents for trying really hard to get the real reason of Christmas instilled into our little heads. But no matter how much they tried to emphasize Christ on Christmas, I still always looked forward to one thing - what I was getting on Christmas morning. That I was getting presents. From everyone. From Santa, from my parents, from my brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc. I gave all of these people gifts as well, but that wasn't exciting to me. It was the gifts I got that mattered. What can I say? I was selfish.

Neil says that growing up, leading up to Christmas, he was always thinking about what he was going to get on Christmas morning. He says that even as an adult, he would be more excited about what he was recieving than what he was giving.

So we started thinking about this. We wanted a change. Our hearts were changing, and we wanted to get rid of the baggage. And do we really want Bella growing up expecting gifts on Christmas morning as we did? No, we want more for her than that.
We want her to really, truly understand that the day we celebrate Christmas is totally focused on Christ. And the only way we can teach her that, is if we experience it for ourselves.
We no longer want the focus on ourselves (meaning everybody - people in general). we want the focus on Christ.

Many may argue that the wise men brought Jesus gifts. And they did-it's true. But that's just it - they brought Jesus gifts. Not Mary, not Joseph, not the Shepherds...it was HIS day - not Mary's day, or Joseph's day...you get the point. It was all about Christ. That He, and He alone is worthy of our praise.
So instead of giving each other gifts on His day, we want to give our hearts to Christ. How do we do that in a tangible way? Well, that's a good question, and we're still working on it. But I think it means being his hands and feet. Doing what we are called to do all year long - love. and love is an action. I've got some thoughts in my head that have been brewing for probably about 8 years...maybe I'll actually follow through this year.

In the meantime...here's some other stuff we're doing instead of gifts:

1. The Jesse Tree. Not a Christmas Tree, although from a distance it may look the same, simply because we're using what we already have. We set up our "Christmas" tree, put lights and an angel on it, but the rest is quite different. These are no ordinary ornaments, and the tree doesn't get decorated all at once. It started out just with lights. A day at a time we add an ornament to the tree - and our tree tells God's love story over the course of 4 weeks. Each ornament is decorated with a symbol that represents something in scripture. Starting in Genesis, and leading up to the birth of Christ, we read a passage of scripture every night, then Bella gets to put the appropriate ornament on the tree that represents what we read.
examples: a mud-man for Adam, the ark and the rainbow for Noah, the burning bush and the 10 commandments for Moses, a harp for David... I love it.

2. Making a "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake, singing "happy birthday" and celebrating that it's His birthday.

3. Having family worship time. I'm taking my guitar to Texas, as my family has requested, and we're going to sing and praise the Lord together as a family.

4. Enjoying each other's company and soaking it all in.
So many times, we've noticed that when it comes to our family gatherings, we would all be talking and hanging out together, and then as soon as it became "open gifts" time, the conversations would cease and all attention is focused on the opening of gifts. How sad, when we don't get to see each other very often! So this year we are just enjoying one another and having good quality family time.

5. Giving to charity. Somehow what we decided to do (not exchange gifts) with our immediate family (Neil, Bella, and I) had already started spreading to MY immediate family...which then started spreading to my mom's side of the family...
anyway, on my mom's side, we've decided to put together all the money that we would have spent on each other for gifts and give it to a charity. One person each year gets to choose what charity we give to.

So I guess you could say that all those things my parents tried to instill in me as a kid really weren't a waste after all. It's just taken all of us a while to really "get it." I'm excited to see what this year holds. So far, it's amazing...and it's not even Christmas yet! I feel like I'm anticipating the coming of Christmas the way I'm supposed to for the first time ever. And I feel closer to my Savior because of it. What an amazing thing.

Last year vs. this year

This is a re-post from last year. I'm reposting it, because this year, instead of just pondering what Christmas would be like if we did things differently - I'm experiencing it. And oh, how wonderful it is! More on that later, but for now, here's a poem that I wrote last year when God was really beginning to awaken my heart to the reality of Christmas. I hope and pray that this would encourage you to seek God's heart above all else this season - as we celebrate His Amazing Love!


Ribbons, bows, and shiny wrappings too
add to the chaos; dampen the Good News
Too many things done because we have to
another item checked off the list of things "to do"

no longer are gifts something given joyfully
the receiver expects them these days, you see
children waiting on what they will find
on Christmas morning, when they open their little eyes.
will they get what they wanted?
what they asked for? what they dreamed?
will their feelings be hurt
if they do not recieve?

rather than giving to those in need
we're selfishly motivated
and our kids learn our old schemes

The thought of Jesus' birthday
never crosses their little minds
even if they are reminded
by parents quite a few times

what makes us excited about this time of year?
is it the cold or the Christmas cheer?
or the presents we've received year after year?
How do we let God enter in and draw near?

Do we dare to be different?
Do we dare to make it real?
I wonder just how much better
Christmas would feel
If we dropped all the baggage
this time of year brings
and simply focused on the reason
we Celebrate these things.

out of love for us, God gave his Son
his birth led to the death
that gave us salvation.
Remembering that
should simply be enough
so why in the world do we need all this stuff?

get rid of the lights, the candles, and the like
and remember that God saved us
from an eternity of strife.
because of his love for everyone -
even me
He came so He could set us free!
what wonderful news
to human, fallible souls
as hard as we try
we can't do it alone.

And yet the One, who on this day
we all claim to adore,
gets lost and forgotten
just like the years before

so instead of the wrappings,
the ribbons, the bows
lets start telling the story -
the way it truly goes:
Jesus came
he's all we need
and with the angels
we'll be praising Him for eternity
if only we believe that He is THE way
Now THAT's something to Celebrate on Christmas Day!

Happy New Year!

I do have to say that my first Christmas was wonderful! It was my first time to go to Louisiana, and I got to see so many fun people, and met many of them for the first time! aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents...Mommy and Daddy's friends...the list goes on...

Here's a picture of my daddy's family - my aunts and uncles, cousins, nana and poppop, mommy and daddy, and me. I think its the first picture of everyone since mommy and daddy's wedding!



Here's me with my cousins - Maris (4), Taylor (3) , and Chase (just a month older than me!)

ahem! a side note: Chase looks smaller than me because he is sitting farther back...that, and he's walking now... Don't worry...I'll catch up soon enough!


And here's me playing with PopPop's hat. I like hats. and glasses...and keys...

Yup. Christmas was fun. I don't recommend riding in a car seat for 12 hours straight very often, but mommy and daddy said I did great! We made it there and back, and mommy and I brought colds back with us. What's family time without sharing, right? We'll get over it, and I'll catch up on that crawling soon enough...
Happy New Year!
love,
Bella

Early Family Christmas

Mom and Dad wanted to have family Christmas time early. They say we are leaving to go to Louisiana to see Nana and PopPop right after the Christmas Eve service. so, here was my experience with my first christmas presents...

The first picture was taken a couple of days ago...I was busted trying to sneek a peek at gifts a bit early (or maybe just wanting to get ahold of that pretty bow and eat it!) It was a pretty bow...until I untied it and took it off the present it belonged to...But I had a great time with it!


This is from our "Family time"...or should I say "Daddy time?" notice the bunny slippers? cute as can be and a gift from my great aunt and uncle. so cute and cozy - and they have ears that are fun to grab too! :)
ps. I love my daddy! can you tell?

I definitely think I had more fun playing with paper than anything else!


And eating the wrapped gifts... yum!


But when all was said and done, it was nice to just hang out with the family....or um...daddy :) ...relaxing after so much hard work - and all in my cute bunny slippers...


Have a merry Christmas!
Love, Bella

Christmas Excitement

Ribbons, bows, and shiny wrappings too
add to the chaos; dampen the Good News
Too many things done because we have to
another item checked off the list of things "to do"

no longer are gifts something given joyfully
the reciever expects them these days, you see
children waiting on what they will find
on Christmas morning when they open their eyes.

will they get what they wanted?
what they asked for? what they dreamed?
will their feelings be hurt
if they do not recieve?

rather than giving to those in need
we're selfishly motivated
and our kids learn our old schemes

The thought of Jesus' birthday
never crosses their little minds
even if they are reminded
by parents quite a few times

what makes us excited about this time of year?
is it the cold or the Christmas cheer?
or the presents we've received year after year?
How do we let God enter in and draw near?

Do we dare to be different?
Do we dare to make it real?
I wonder just how much better
Christmas would feel

If we dropped all the baggage
this time of year brings
and simply focused on the reason
we Celebrate these things.

out of love for us, God gave his Son
his birth led to the death
that gave us salvation.

Remembering that should simply be enough
so why in the world do we need all this stuff?

get rid of the lights, the candles, and the like
and remember that God saved us
from an eternity of strife.

because of his love for everyone
even me
He came so He could set us free!

what wonderful news
to human, fallible souls
as hard as we try
we can't do it alone.

And yet the One, who on this day
we all claim to adore
gets lost and forgotten
just like the years before

so instead of the wrappings, the ribbons, the bows
lets start telling the story - the way it truly goes

Jesus came
he's all we need
and with the angels we'll be praising Him
for eternity...

...if only we believe that He is THE way
Now THAT's something to Celebrate on Christmas Day!