Merry Merry Christmas! Prayers that you have had a blessed day with your family. As a nurse I have worked many Christmas’, but this year I was off until tonight so I was able to enjoy our birthday party for Jesus last night, a Christmas Eve service as well as waking up with my family this morning. I so enjoy the kids excitement for all things Christmas. My kiddos get all excited about Jesus’ birthday cake, reading the Christmas story (I love Christmas books, and so every year I try to buy a new book that is about Jesus’s birth and then we read them throughout the month of December) as well as the actual story of His birth in the Bible. I love the traditions that my family began, I love that my kids know it is Jesus’ birthday first. Tonight I head back to the hospital for work…..

In years past there have been times when we needed help for Christmas, when I couldn’t do what I wanted to for my kids. There have been times where I was so sad that I couldn’t get that one special thing that one of them wanted. This year, was very different for us in the fact the kids were very specific about their desires for Christmas. They actually didn’t ask for tons of stuff, and just had a couple very specific things. I know this is probably a touchy subject, but we never made santa a big deal in our house. We have always said that it was Jesus’s birthday but that we get the kids some presents. I don’t believe Sam and Sophia ever really even thought about Santa. And now with Preston and Paisley things are totally different. And even though we have never promoted Santa, never told them that he was coming, the world has told them that he was. And in that it has brought a different sense of Christmas in our house. Preston and Paisley realize that their gifts are from us…… but they also wanted to leave out cookies and milk for Santa, and we let them. It felt very strange to me…… but they had a blast with the thought of it. And they still know that it was Jesus’ birthday today.

We had a Christmas musical at our church this past sunday. I am so proud of my children. I will share the link for the service from YouTube. Samuel did an instrumental solo playing my grandfather’s over 100 year old trumpet! He is very hard on himself and doesn’t feel he did a good job, but I think he did amazing! Sophia has been feeling sick for several weeks, and hasn’t actually been practicing her song with the choir, but she blew me away with how wonderful she did singing her solo “Mary did you know?”. Their musical talent is truly a God given gift, and I am so thankful that I get to enjoy it. My sweet Preston was Joseph, and Paisley was a Wiseman. The cool thing about this musical was that Santa actually came…. So the amazing thing was that Santa told the story of Jesus, and at the end he bowed to Jesus…… It was certainly an interesting spin on it, but I think it was cool to point out that all will bow to our KING of KINGS.

Have you heard the song “It’s about the cross” by the Ball Brothers? This song wow! This season is so crazy, the hustle and bustle and visiting and planning and prepping….. When you think of the manger do you also think of the cross? Do you think of His whole life here on earth? Do you think of what His birth did for us? Do you think about the fact that without the manger there would be no cross? Do you think of where you would be without the gift of Jesus?

This year there were so many around us that were going through some painful things, the loss of parents, the loss of a job, or finances, or health. A dear friend of mine is constantly approached by members of the community when there is a family in need. The needs were so great this year. Even just for basics. A 6 year old child with holes in her shoes and her toes sticking out, a family whose entire house burned to the ground, and only the people got out, not their pets, nor anything else, and several more families that were really struggling this year. People we know were struggling with severe illness as well. This year it has felt like the devil really is upping his anti and fighting harder against God’s people. I am so thankful to be surrounded by people who love and serve God however they are called. I am thankful that I was able to help some struggling families, and thankful that it isn’t necessarily financial needs that are always needed, and that God uses whatever we can offer to help others. Helping/giving is the best!

Merry Christmas again! May you be surrounded by His love, your family, and wonderful happy memories of this Christmas and those in the past.

Off to work I go