The Three Days of Christmas

I hope that everyone had a joyful Christmas. I hope you had the chance to experience the celebration of Christ in your heart! We had a great time celebrating with our families! This Holiday season has been a true roller coaster, from the loss of my grandmother to the joyful early arrival of my nephew we were all emotionally spent and we enjoyed just being still. Noah was an absolute joy to watch. He really understood what was going on... esp the birthday cake for Jesus and present parts! I love tradition and Christmas is full of them. I really want to establish holiday traditions for Noah that emphasis the importance of the season and reflect its true meaning. So this year we added and advent wreath to our table and did devotion every Sunday. I hope next year to add a daily something and some service projects as Noah gets older. We also continued the Birthday Party for Jesus at both Nana's and Mimi's. Santa also brought Noah three presents to represent the three gifts the Kings brought to Baby Jesus. We also give him two presents from us one sentimental and one not so much. Noah did grasp what we were celebrating... I think. At least he could tell me it was Jesus' Birthday. The first day of Christmas was the 23rd and at our house. Noah woke up to presents and stockings. I made us a home cooked breakfast and we lit the last advent candle and read the Christmas Story. We packed up and headed to Birmingham. Christmas Eve was spent with Nana, Puddin, Robin, Chris and Baby E. We played Beatles RockBand, ate a yummy meal, opened more presents and had a birthday cake for Jesus. We missed the Christmas Eve service at Lakeside because Noah had a major allergic reaction to something. I was sad... the service is always a highlight for me. Christmas Day was spent at Mimi's with Mimi, Papa, Xander, Emy, Griffin, Whawoo, Jason, Michael and Baby Neal. We opened more presents, ate more yummy food, played Wii, games, and watched movies. More important than three days of presents and food was the moments that turn into memories. Noah is growing up so fast. I was touched by his joy and innocence this holiday. I delighted in his delight. He was a pleasure to watch. I am thankful for the time I got to spend with each of our family members and for the simple act of just "being" in their present. I pray that this year I will not take any of them for granted and will do a better job of showing my appreciation for each of them and showing them God's love through mine.

Christmas Morning at our house!