A Merry and Blessed Christmas from our houseful to yours!
"Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift!"
2 Corinthians 9:15
I am happy to report that baby Jesus' manger had some hay in it to keep Him warm on Christmas day at our house! I would have been even more pleased if there was more hay, but I think the tradition of adding hay for good deeds and losing hay for uncharitableness really made an impression on my boys' hearts, so at least the main goal was accomplished, right? :}
Christmas morning was simple and quiet at our home this year. Grandma Jean left a few days before Christmas, so it was just "us." The boys each had 3 small gifts to open, in honor of Jesus receiving 3 from the wise men. We opened our gifts after Mass, after receiving Jesus in the flesh, the greatest Christmas Gift of all. How I love being Catholic, especially at Christmas time! Our Cathedral Church was simply magical...decorated in gold and white satin cascading from the ceiling, a gorgeous creche near the ambo, holy incense lifting our prayers heavenward, the organ praising God with the angels, and the altar always the center-stage for the miracle of Emmanuel coming down from heaven to be with us, resting on that altar just as real as He rested in that manger over 2000 years ago! How blessed we are...even more blessed than those wise men or shepherds, for we not only get to see Him, we get to receive Him! God is so good, so humble, so worthy of our love and praise!
Here is a recap of the boys' favorite gifts this year:
Paul's favorite Christmas gift was starting the huge project of installing new flooring throughout the entire main floor of our house. Yes, it will be loads of work, but somehow he is eager for the challenge! I am so proud of him for tackling this enormous task. He has to remove all the carpet in the living room, the ceramic tile in the entryway, and the old hardwood floor in the kitchen. Then he has to put down new subflooring, and finally, install the new vinyl wood-looking planks! Whew! Because he will only be able to work in short increments at a time, it might take weeks or even months to complete, but he is saving us a bundle of money and I know it will look beautiful when it is complete! Our hope is that this new look will help us to sell our house in the Spring, God-willing.
I admit that I did cry more than a tear or two this Christmas... When will I ever pull myself together!? I get homesick every holiday season, wishing we had family nearby to celebrate with us, and getting caught in the trap of wishing things were different rather than rejoicing in what I have. I also have a hard time dealing with disappointment, and due to 3 of our kids being sick with terrible colds/coughs/fevers on Christmas Eve, we had to cancel our special dinner and music recital with dear friends of ours. When I called them to cancel, I turned into a puddle of tears...hence, I was blessed with the gift of humiliation this Christmas too! The good news is that humiliation is the shortest path to humility, so I made some good progress this year! :o) I really was a mess the days leading up to Christmas...it was a melancholy Christmas rather than a magical one for me. But that's OK. God was with me, my family was patient with me, and after going to confession twice in one week (gasp), I palpably felt God's mercy poured within me! God is so good, and how I love Him so!
"We love Him because He first loved us!"
1 John 4:19
God bless you and your lovely family! We love you and appreciate your friendship. Thank you for being an awesome role-model for me, as a young mother too. :D ((((Hugs))))
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