Christmas Memories

I love Christmas time and all of the festivities and traditions that accompany the holiday season. In October when I began planning for the holidays, I made the decision that for every activity we did involving Santa I wanted to do something regarding the true meaning of Christmas. The list of things we could with Santa just kept adding up as I struggeled to find things for us to do as a family involving the true meaning of Christmas.

Last weekend we went to "Christmas Comes Alive" a live nativity. As we rode the hayride through the different scenes of the nativity story, Ellie asked questions and would point things out. I was really pleased because she was really listening and I knew that she understood what she was seeing and hearing. I was unable to get any pictures, because it was so cold and we were cuddled under blankets.

This Saturday we went to a trailer park nearby to pass out groceries, coats and toys to a very needy community. When our church first started planning the outreach several people made the comment that the neighborhood was no place for teenagers or children. I decided that regardless of what others said I wanted my children to grow up understanding and being exposed to poverty. I wanted them to experience the act of giving and to see it modeled by their parents. I choose not take my camera, because I did not need anything else to keep up with.

Though I do not have photographs I will always remember these Christmas memories.

A Very Sweet Weekend

In preparation for our busy weekend I got up early Thurs. morning to start cleaning the house before heading to work. I got called in early to work so I left my cleaning and headed to work at 7:15 AM. I got off work at about 6 PM and headed to Walmart to get groceries. Then it was home to finish cleaning, do some laundry, and finish a few projects for my decorating in the AM. On Friday, I was up at 5 AM and out the door by 8 AM to decorate someone's house for Christmas (my third one this season). I finished at about 2:30 and went home to finish laundry and get ready for the Church's district Christmas party in Birmingham. We left at 5:30 and got home at 10:30 PM and I was up again at 6:50 AM. Saturday morning we got the kids ready and went to the mall to see Santa.

We grabbed some lunch while at the mall and then it was home for naptime - well at least for the kids. While the kids were napping I started making Christmas candy. Just as I was finishing our guests for the SEC game arrived and I began dinner prep.

After cooking and cleaning up, the kids and I baked sugar cookies.




After that the kids went to bed we cleaned up the kitchen and I sat down (the first time all day) to work on Christmas cards. We woke up on Sunday and went to church. After church Ellie went home with a friend and Jack went with Scott and I to our missions trip lunch meeting. at 6 PM was the annual Youth volunteer Christmas party. I could go on, but I think you get the point that things are extremely busy around here. However, note that I did not entitle this post a busy weekend, but rather choose to call it a "Sweet Weekend". Despite the business of the weekend and upcoming week, I still had a great time making Christmas memories with my children. The moral of this story is don't get too busy this season that you forget to stop and smell the sugar cookies.