Christmas All Around

I love, love Christmas time. I love the lights and the traditions and seeing family and listening to Christmas carols and...

I love setting up the nativity...

and decorating the mantle...

and putting out the ornaments that my mom made for me/us...

and decorating the tree
(minus the battle-of-the-lights but I do love them once they're on and minus when the tree falls!)
one of my favorite traditions is giving/getting ornaments! my mom was able to hand us a huge box full of ornaments when we got married that she/we had collected growing up-something we'll start now with Addie!

our "1st Christmas" ornament from my mom

my favorite angel ornament from my Maw Maw

Paul's ornaments: rock 'em sock 'em robots (they actually work!) and a Star War's Jedi

and then there's the presents...
it isn't that presents are a focus for us-don't get me wrong, we love giving (and getting) presents...it's just not our focus. however, I love, love wrapping and putting ribbon on presents...something my mom taught me to do years ago and let me do for years growing up! and oh do I love ribbon...

and my goal this year (one of many) was to use up as many of those spools of ribbon (and wrapping paper) with just a little left on them as I could....success!

A tradition we will be starting with Addie is to spend Christmas morning with just the three of us (and however many kiddos we add in years to come) eating breakfast casserole, enjoying Santa's visit, and who knows what else we'll add in the years to come! I hope to add making cookies, decorating gingerbread houses, and more as she/they gets older.

But most importantly, I want to share with her about the tiny little baby that was born 2000 years ago. The tiny baby that changed the world. I hope she will know Jesus as her Savior, putting her trust and hope in the only thing that can bring her true joy. And it starts now, playing with her little people nativity her Rie Rie gave her. Talking about baby Jesus and the angel and singing Away in a Manger. It all starts now.

In all the bustle and rush of Christmas, we hope your family is blessed by the one true reason for Christmas! No Happy Holidays...just Merry Christmas!!!