Christmas

Well, we had a wonderful Christmas season this year. We made cookies, went caroling, saw a wonderful Nativity program in Austin and enjoyed much time with family and friends. I always love this time of year and really tried to just relax and enjoy it instead of going crazy with activities and shopping. I did my fair share of shopping and went to plenty of activities but it seemed that it was still a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. Maybe it was all the Christmas books I read or the Christmas music I listened to. Whatever it was, this Christmas was a blessing to me.

Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in no particular order. The cedar in the air, and consequently the meds in my system, are blocking my brain activity so I couldn't figure out how to do that. Enjoy anyway! :)


Nerf guns from Aunt Emily's family!


Bekah loves to pose for pictures!


Making cookies! This is my favorite holiday activity, except for the Nativity program.


Wrestling with dad.


She actually sat down and started practicing her cursive the moment she opened this present from her NaNa.


The whole crew.


NaNa's traditional "Find Baby Jesus" game. Every year she waits to put out her nativity so the kids can help and whoever finds baby Jesus is the winner.


Hefner grandchildren.


random shot.


It's so rewarding to find the perfect gift for someone. This year it was for Zack. I had my heart set on a Dallas Cowboys jersey for him. Well, after seeing the prices of those I was about to settle for just a plain old, nothing special Cowboys tshirt from Walmart. But that last shopping outing, we went to Academy and decided to look at their Cowboys stuff, just to see. I found a tshirt that I like better than the one I had but then, out of the corner of my eye, spotted a tshirt that had Zack's favorite player's name and number! It's almost the same as a jersey but better cause it was way cheaper! I believe I was jumping up and down in the store out of excitement. The look on his face when he opened it made it all worthwhile. That is how a kid is supposed to look at Christmas.

Besides celebrating the birth of my Savior, that is why I love Christmas. It's a special time to make the people around you happy in a special way. It's not the stuff...it's the joy and excitement of pleasing others.

One other note; the kids and I had a special opportunity to bless some others in our community. As I sat feeling low one morning (stupid cedar trees) Paul's Sunday School teacher called and asked what we were doing. "Nothing," I replied. "Want to go deliver some of those boxes to the homeless?" she asked. A few weeks prior, the kids had made boxes for the homeless that included snacks, personal hygiene products, etc. The idea was that we would all keep some in our cars and hand them out when we saw the homeless as we drove on our various routes during the week.

I have to say, I wasn't all that excited about it but I knew that I needed to do something for someone else to get out of the grumpy mood I was in. So we met at the church and away we went. I can't say how many boxes we handed out but it was a lot. And it was rewarding. I know that not everyone we saw may have "deserved" a box but we were learning to love people where they are, not how we think they should be. And that's what Jesus taught! I'll never forget looking in my mirror and seeing the homeless man we had just delivered to reading the card a child had made for the box and getting a huge smile on his face. His day was blessed and so was mine.