Christmas is Over

Once again this year I am feeling like I didn't listen to enough Christmas music or DO enough Christmas activities. There just never seems to be enough time. I worked nearly every minute of every day making gifts, helping my children make gifts, making decorations, reading Christmas books etc... I did get everything finished after a couple of really late nights right before Christmas.
Yesterday I was recognizing that the feeling of anticipation was over. That I no longer had projects to work on. That my children had no more advent calendar doors to open. It occurred to me that we are called to prepare, to be ready, to be anxious for Jesus and His return.

1 John 2:28, "...continue in Him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming."
Phillipians 3:20, "...we eagerly await a Savior..."
1 Thessalonians 1:10, "and to wait for His Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath."

Yes, the anticipation and preparation for Christmas-the celebration of His first coming to Earth has reminded me that I should be living in that spirit of anticipation and preparation for the second coming. And teaching my children to be excited and ready as well. Christmas all year long-what a great idea!

Reason for the Season

Jack is very drawn to baby Jesus. He says "Jesus" so cute!

We have this Christmas ornament that Celia gave us several years ago. It is a giant nail. It comes with a little paragraph explaining that whole purpose of Jesus's birth was his eventual sacrifice and resurrection. As a family we try and hang it on the tree first. So this year, we talked with the girls about Jesus's birth, sacrifice and resurrection. Little did we know, it made a big impression on Loredana. Out front Kelly has this giant blow up snow globe that the kids love. Loredana likes to walk out of the garage and look at it when we get home. Several times she has walked over to it, noticed the stakes holding it in the ground and, as she pointed to the stakes said, "That's for the Baby Jesus." What am I supposed to say to that?

The kids of Apex have been learning some Christmas carols at our house the last few Friday nights. They will share the songs they've learned this Sunday night at the Gathering. As I watch them sing I see how humble they are. How innocent they are. How curious they are. How Christlike they are.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

The weather is right, it's missing the snow but that's come in the weeks after Christmas for the last two years. It is mighty cold and I LOVE that! I actually turned the heat on the other day-the first time this season and the last area of the house to use fossil fuel for my comfort. I DO love the smell of burning dust on the heater coils-call me crazy, I love it!

Loredana came out of the TV room today and said, "Can you get me 'make a purse, make a scarf, make anything you can imagine' for Christmas?" I could hardly contain my laughter.

We have advent calendars galore around here. It is almost a full time job getting them all opened before the next day.

We're reading Christmas stories at bedtime-fun!

SO, I have a few more "must do's" on my Christmas season list.

1. make and send Christmas cards-we have NO printer, some kind of computer problem that I know nothing about-we can't print. Doug worked hard on a drawing to put in it. A different computer just lost it-probably 24 hours or so of work disappeared. We might be sending Valentine's this year instead.
2. Watch Christmas movies. I really want to watch _Better Off Dead_ with John Cusack this year, which isn't actually a Christmas movie, but some of it happens around Christmas and there is some funny stuff if I remember correctly. $2.00!
3. Make Gifts and other projects. It seems like I don't have any which is scaring me. I'm sure I'll remember what they are on the 23rd, at midnight.

Time for me to go to bed-visions of sugarplums dance in my head!