Christmas

Today is Christmas. I am sitting here in a warm house, with my grandparents, parents, sisters, and brothers standing around, joking and talking with one another.  My dad is cleaning pans from breakfast, and the boys are playing with battery-operated cars they found in their stockings.  The dog is successfully (for the most part) dodging the little missiles, one eye on the cars and the other shut as she tries to get in her mid-morning nap.  If you sat down and looked around, it would look like a peaceful day in the life of our family.  But if you got up and started talking among the children, you would find out more.  They are joyful in the celebration of Jesus, excited at the remembrance of His birth.  They know that this is more than a fun day off school with new toys to play with and grandparents to visit—it's one of the most important days of the year.  Christ the savior was born today—is there anything more that matters?  Is there any birth that was special enough to compete with the joy and love that came in that small package one Christmas day thousands of years ago?  Never!
Today is Christmas.  We celebrate with joy.  I pray that you and your family have a merry one, filled with new memories and the remembrance of old ones.

To be Home

It's snowing outside, and the weather forecast says to expect 2-6 inches tonight.

Upstairs, Isaiah's sobbing because he's so incredibly exhausted from his day of outdoor play, and the rest of the family is going about their usual routines to get ready for bed.  Lily, our 9-year-old German shorthair, is almost asleep at my feet, covered in a blanket because she was cold.  My cat is on the other side of the room, in the kitchen, eating her dinner.  It's quiet, except for the faint sounds of Isaiah's worn out voice.  And as I look outside at the Christmas lights on our back deck—the blue ones faded to white because the sun bleached them—I feel a certain peace.  It's the feeling of hope, life, and love.  The feeling of Christmas.  And suddenly, I am overjoyed to live in this house, with these people.  To live in the knowledge that I am loved and that I have people to love.  To be home.

Grown-Up Christmas List--Amy Grant

This is a classic Christmas song, if you ask me!

Kutless' This is Christmas

A beautiful song, This is Christmas, by Kutless:

All I want for Christmas

This week's Christmas tune!

Mr. Snow Miser!

This is the best version of "Snow Miser" I've heard yet!

Christmas Music!

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is in 4 weeks, so I am now announcing (drumroll please) Christmas music!  My favorite radio station, Air1, is now playing it, so I am as well!To kick things off, here's my favorite Christmas song of all time: