Prep Time!

I am unabashedly a "holiday person".

I adore holidays - and have more plans and hopes of crafts/goodies/plans

than E.V.E.R. actually come to pass!

Of course, I love the Christmas season.

I don't mind the so-called "hustle and bustle" of the t0-do lists

(at least, most of the time!)
because it just seems that it is a cheery time of year.

A time to remember why this season even exists at all-

and to wonder at the miracle of Jesus' birth.

And what a wonderful way to look at the beauty of Christmas:

through the eyes of children.

It's true that there is a great challenge of helping little eyes to see that

the season is not about "getting",

but about giving to others and seeing the big picture of Christmas.

But, Eli and I love watching the boys' eyes light up as we pull out decorations,

set up the nativity,

arrange advent calendars.

Their expectations are only of wonderful things: no jaded ideas here!

When we sang "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" on Sunday morning at church,

Jonah just looked at me, with eyes opened wide and huge grin on his face -

a Christmas song on Sunday morning! He couldn't remember the year before doing the same thing.

Now each evening that we're out after dark,

the boys beg for me to take "a special way" to our destination

so that we can hunt for houses with Christmas lights!

The next three weeks are only going to go by too fast,

and if I can keep that in mind as I plan each day,

we will savor the Gift that Christmas brings.