Christmas

Everyone else is posting about their Christmas traditions, Christmas decor and the like, so I am too! And it's all part of my efforts to blog every day, or at least every other day. Let's say that if I can blog at least every other day, that will be my holiday and New Year's gift to you out there!!

 Christmas here at our house is usually a big thing.  Daddy likes to make a big deal out of it, and it seems that the children begin in April to anticipate the celebration that Daddy puts on! Now, to you out there, that may seem like we do a lavish and fancy party and tons of gifts and things like that, but really it is small and simple and homey, and it's just our children's innocence and child-like joy that makes our humble Christmas doings seem like glamour and fanciness.

We always have what we call a "spread" for dinner on Christmas, whether it be on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  In times past, during the holiday season, Daddy would get tons of goodies and treats each year on his route, and we'd save them in a high cupboard for Christmas. We'd bring out all of that sweet and mysterious goodness, along with things like meats and cheeses, and we'd feast! Our spread is the chief highlight of the season, and we will be doing that same thing this year.  I'll cook a ham, and we'll slice it real thin and then wrap it in assorted cheeses and munch on pickles and olives, apples and oranges. I'll also make my special hummus for Daddy.

As far as gifts go, this year we did something very different.  Papa (Dave's dad) came up with the idea of having our children draw each others' names and then, Papa took them shopping in groups of three to buy the gift for their sibling.  What's funny is that I was thinking of doing the same thing! It was a first for our children and they had a blast! They also got to go out for ice cream after their shopping trip.

Getting our tree is always a major adventure too.  We always go to a local tree farm and tromp all around the place, looking for that perfect tree.  This year I was unable to go, but everyone had just as much fun and the tree is so gorgeous! The children decorated it and as I said in a previous post, we love our homey, simple, lovely tree!

This year we will be doing something entirely different on Christmas Day.  We have been invited to a family's house to have an early dinner and play games and fellowship with them. We've never done anything like that and we are all so excited! We are getting to know this family, and I couldn't be happier, as I feel that the mom is a kindred spirit and I'm looking forward to some good, old fashioned Girl Talk! We'll stay late since Dave and Mr W (the dad of the family) don't have to work the next day.  We'll play games and probably eat ourselves into a coma!!

We always watch the traditional films during the holidays, such as White Christmas, the original Scrooge and especially It's a Wonderful Life.  It's another thing we all look forward to.  We do watch them every year, but it seems that we always love the films just as much as the first time we watched them.  I especially love It's a Wonderful Life, and I do cry at certain spots.

Well, there you have it! I think this post would have been 100% better with pictures, but our camera is busted and so, pictures are impossible, and anyway, our home decor would never make it in Better Homes and Gardens, and Martha Stewart would probably turn up her nose if she came in our home right now, but we don't care!  I do hope you have enjoyed reading about life around here during Christmas.  

I know Christmas can get very busy and stressful, and I know there's so much to do right now, but please don't forget the reason we celebrate right now.....Jesus.  Without Him, I would be nothing and nobody, and I'm so thankful He came to us as a baby so long ago!