Christmas Eve Beauty

(my five kids )

I woke up this morning feeling so completely blessed.
My warm cozy husband snuggled into my back, I could hear my kids awake and getting breakfast, and I remembered today is the day before Christmas. But rather than get panicked with things to do, I cozied into my husbands arms and closed my eyes and smiled into a snooze.

Don't get me wrong we had stuff to do today, church singing, last minute present wrapping, Christmas eve services ( 3 to be exact), dinner, etc etc, but no crazy rushing. We watched football, made fudge, cleaned the house and hung out together as a family. It was great!
But it started out with sleeping in and not giving in to the craziness of the season.
If Jesus can teach us one thing this Christmas I hope that it is Beauty.
Teach us the Beauty of selfless giving.
Teach us the Beauty of celebrating.
Teach us the Beauty of receiving from others.
Teach us the Beauty of taking the time to be aware of the wonders around us.

I woke up with beauty in my heart, and I wish it for everyone.
Merry Christmas!

3 more sleeps

I love Christmas time.
It always seems to go so fast,
EVEN though I start decorating the house in November and listening to Christmas carols the day after Halloween, it STILL flies by.

I am wrapping presents tonight after the kids go to bed, having a holiday drink and listening to carols. I'm looking forward to a peaceful night during a time when most people are feeling rushed and wiped out. I pray that anyone who reads this takes a moment to really LOVE the season and bless themselves with a peaceful moment.

Cheers.
May God bless you and fill you with good news.

how to avoid Christmas season Headaches

These are my four boys on the first day of snow fall. (my daughter was inside helping me make hot chocolate)

When the Christmas season approaches my husband and I start getting alot of questions. People seem very curious as to how with 5 kids we keep our sanity over the holiday season.

November 27th 2005, was the start of advent. We light candles- the first week Hope, the 2nd Peace, 3rd Joy, 4th Love and on Christmas eve we light the Christ candle. Doing advent is a very sobering reminder of what the holidays is all about. We light the candle(s) read a passage from the bible or a short Christmas story, a poem, or quiz the kids about the Christmas story. We tell the legend of Santa Claus and various other stories of generosity. My husband and I share stories of our childhood Christmases or we make plans to go caroling or help at a homeless shelter. Then each one of us picks a Christmas carol either traditional or modern, youngest to oldest and we sing them all. At the end the kids take turns blowing out the candle(s).

This is a grounding tradition in our household. It teaches our children about family quality time, about giving and loving. It reinforces the true meaning of Christmas, a beautiful story about the quiet arrival of a very special baby.