Well, at my house anyway. I have come to realize that I will not be going to visit my family in Washington after all. I was bummed at first, but I'm over it. It's for the best right now. It was my thinking that I would not get out all the Christmas stuff if we weren't even going to be here for Christmas - so that all changed. The tree is up, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care...I even have our down stairs bathroom decked out in snow man stuff!
I do love decorating for Christmas even though it meant putting away my fall stuff for now.
That's okay, it will all come back out in January. Yeah, that's right. I keep it out year round. I even decided to use real photos (of various size) of my family and friends that are fall themed. I already have a beautiful set of 3 fall photos that are 8x10 (Thanks Tiffany) that make me smile every time I think of them. I recently got a bunch of photos of my nieces and nephews and they happen to be at the pumpkin patch, in the fall foilage, etc. Those will be added to the wall!
Oh, but back to Christmas. I really do not like the fact that the holidays (Holy Days) have become so commercialized, but hey - that's the world we live in. I choose to decorate as much as I can and I also love to burn candles that have the smells of the season and listen to music that is festive as well. The children's choir at church (directed by yours truly) is getting ready for their 1st ever Christmas concert and we are excited. It will be in Spanish and English. How cool is that?
It has been raining off and on for about the last two weeks here. My thermostat shows a temp of 61 degrees. That is very cold for US! I know, I know. My family and friends in knee deep snow are probably shaking their heads right now. We are in So. Cal. though. LOL
Last night we took our youth group to the Festival of Lights at the Mission Inn in Riverside. We had lots of fun enjoying the sights and smells of Christmas. A few of the guys even paid to ice skate at the outdoor rink they set up. It was like our own little Madison Square Gardens.
More importantly, I am thinking about the gifts I can give to my family and friends. We really have been blessed with so much. I love to give something that let's a loved one know that I appreciate them and am thankful for them.
The greatest gift any of us can receive of course is the gift of Eternal Life. I am so thankful that our Saviour Jesus Christ has already paid this price for us. He gave us the greatest gift, expecting nothing in return. He exhibits the greatest example of unconditional love. Let us try to even come close to it by sharing this Truth with others this year.
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