Christmas 2007

Merry Late Christmas to all of you. I sure hope that your celebration of Christ's birth was joyous and fabulous. Our time here at home was nice. As always, there is the hubbub and chaos of preparing for something so sacred, which to me, kind of defeats the meaning of Christmas. But, as with every previous year, ours too was busy and filled with running around and lots of things to do.

One of my most favorite things this year was watching the Nativity early in December. The movie is sooo good and wow, what a powerful portrayal (albeit, ala Hollywood) of the birth of Christ. If you haven't seen it, get it and watch it. It is good.

So another year has come and gone with both kids still believing the a big fat jolly old fellow climbs down the chimney and leaves them some goodies. We have told them from early on that he only leaves the candy and small things in the stockings. All of the big and expensive things come from us...not some kind Ho Ho Ho shouting man. Yep that's right, Mom and Dad deliver the goods.

So we made the cookies and set out the milk. Sarah checked to make sure he ate them, and sure enough, they were all gone in the morning.

All year long and even before that, Jacob has been hoping for a Wii. We aren't big electronics people, but the Wii, well it is pretty cool. So I found one in November, had it hidden for 7 weeks in the closet. Oh, we scored big with this one.

Sarah even got something fabulous to play on it.

Lenny surprised me with a little goodie. We agreed that THIS YEAR because of various reasons, that we would not go all out for each other with gifts. So I reach into my stocking and find this little box. I open it and pull the pirate flag out. Seriously, I thought, "wow, he sure didn't go all out." Then I look closer and see that the pirate is wearning...........drumroll please...... BLACK PEARL earrings. Get it?? Black Pearl??? The ship??? Is that cool or what? I am soooo glad I got him all of the cycling stuff.

I gotta tell you this story about our girl. She did something so awesome for her brother. She received about $85 for her birthday in November. When we asked her what she wanted to do with it, she quickly and very confidently said that she wanted to buy a rip-stick for Jacob ( a special kind of skateboard that flexes when it moves). At first, we told her we didn't think she should spend all of her money on that but maybe she could get him something a bit less ambitious. She said that there was nothing that she wanted other than a rip stick for Jacob. We realized that this was truly her heart and that maybe, just maybe, her language of showing love was giving. So Lenny took her to get it. She came home, wrapped it, and kept it a secret for three weeks.

This is just before he opens it but I think he realizes what it is and what she did. Otherwise, he would be scratching her eyes out to get off of him!

This picture was taken on Christmas Eve when we were at my sister's house. No joke, this is someone's front yard. Not a display on the piano or a table, but covering the entire front yard. It was magnificent up close but all I could think of was "How much did all of this cost and where in the world do they store it?" The picture of us is at the house next door to this one. Too incredible.

We do our utmost in efforts to make sure that Christ is always glorified throughout Christmas. Sounds a little obvious to most of you, but it can be so easy to get swept up in the worldview of the "holidays". I truly hope that your Christmas was all about the gift of the baby. How he came down from comfy Heaven in the form of an infant to clean up the mess that we all made. I am so thankful for a savior that not only loves me but knows me and what I go through. That is because he was God in the flesh. Wow, it is a powerful gift not to be taken for granted.

Happy New Year!