#thomassoncmas2014

December 29, 2014

#thomassoncmas2014

Something hit me this year when it comes to Christmas. It was kind of a "duh"/"aha" moment.

A lot of our kids' Christmas is up to us.

By "Christmas", I hope you know what I mean. The excitement, the wonder. The whole experience that comes with this most wonderful time of year. So much of that, at this point, is what we make of it. And it's so exciting.

I don't know about you, but Christmas still gets me way excited! I love the decorations, the smell of the Christmas tree, the Christmas lights and tree stands all over town, Christmas music on the radio, in the stores, at the gym, and Christmas activities. It is delightfully overwhelming and wonderful all at the same time.

That said, it is SO busy! Making my lists, checking them twice, can sure make already busy days a bit more full. It can be tempting to let the stress creep in and squish out the fun. Can I get an amen?!

I was starting to feel that at the start of the season as I put up decorations and got organized for shopping for Christmas gifts. It settled a bit and I am so thankful to say that our Christmas season was really fun! We sang Christmas songs, watched every Veggie Tales Christmas movie ever made, and read from our growing Christmas book collection. The kids and I (and a good friend, for backup) went to an Advent Breakfast where the kids acted out the Christmas story, sang Christmas carols, and made an Advent Candle. Ethan was disappointed when our decorating was over, so he made more decorations and hung them with Scotch tape around the house! The kids helped me bake Christmas goodies and our family walked around the block to hand them out to neighbors. Ethan and I went on a date to see the Nutcracker (he LOVED it!). He helped me count down to Christmas with our Advent Calendar and we played "Christmas" by dressing up as shepherds and wise men and used Evelyn's baby buggy for the manger. Our Christmas Eve service at church was a special time with our church family, singing songs about Jesus and hearing again the beautiful story of God made flesh.

Christmas is such a sweet time, especially with littles. I was thinking about how these three little ones are my primary mission field right now. They have yet to trust in Him as their Lord and Savior. I was thinking how Christmas is such an amazing time to teach the Gospel. Along with every other day of the year, of course, but this season uniquely highlights a historical event that changed history. And I get to celebrate it with my kids! And teach them about what it means that God became man. And rejoice that God gave us Jesus to rescue us from our sins! And discuss what it must have been like to be a shepherd the night the angels came. And talk about our Emmanuel, God with us. And explain how important it is that we tell other people about Jesus. I love, love, love their questions and hearing them "get it" a little more each year.

Our Christmas day was relaxing. What?! Yes, you read that correctly. We took our time, opening gifts and playing and eating. We Facetimed with our east coast families. We played outside, trying to shoot off rockets with vinegar and baking soda. We took the boys around the neighborhood on their bikes. We visited with our neighbors. We ate pizza for dinner, because there is freedom to do that every once in a while. I didn't shower or put on makeup. I read for pleasure. It was glorious.

I am writing most of this for my own memory, so thanks for reading. :)

And, now, some pictures, in no particular order.