christmas

yes... I know...

Christmas is three months away

But can I please tell you how much I LOVE CHRISTMAS?!? Being a part of my husband's family means that we celebrate Christmas at Thanksgiving. Scott's brother is a pastor and that makes traveling around Christmas more difficult. Scott's mom is the music director of her church as well, so Christmas is a hard time for them to be away as well. This all means that I get to celebrate Christmas twice a year...

and I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

I guess you are sitting there thinking that I have lost my mind... writing about Christmas on September 24th... I know... but...

I have been Christmas shopping!!!

With four nieces to shop for and two nephews so far, I have a lot of kids to make happy! I have started looking around and trying to find something that is "child specific" for each of them... I do not want to just buy something that happens to be on sale... although sales are great...

I want to buy something that will show them that I thought about them... I love them... I know them... I want them to feel my love and then remember my love when they see their gift for months to come.

I know Christmas is not supposed to be all about the gift... but in my mind it is...

See, God gave a gift to me in His Son. Every time I see a cross, read the Bible, sing a worship song in church, hear a great sermon or talk about Jesus with my kids, I am reminded about that gift. I am reminded that God loved me so much that He wanted me to spend eternity with Him. I am reminded that He turned His back to His own Son so that He would be able to turn towards me. What a gift. This gift was the ultimate gift. I did not deserve it. It was given out of His love for me.

On a completely different scale - I understand, I truly do - I want my family to look at the things that I do for them or the gifts that I give them, as gifts given out of my love for them...

God knew exactly what I needed. He had the right size, the right timing, the right gift....

I love Christmas more than any other time of the year... I may just have to go get my iPod...

I may need a Christmas tune or two...

I have gifts to wrap...

Did I mention that I have finished all my shopping for my nieces and nephews?

hee hee

I love Christmas!