I can’t believe Christmas is less than a week away! Today is my last day of work and I’m happy to report that when I leave this place to start my two week vacay- I don’t have any more Christmas shopping to do! Or wrapping for that matter! Travis and Chelsea are in town and since they have kept Danica more than entertained, I got all my wrapping done last night! I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself over the next few days- besides get a french manicure on Thursday!
We’ve been busy making memories this Christmas. Number One- I’ve seen more Christmas lights this year than I think I’ve seen the past 34 years I’ve been on this earth. Danica LOVES Christmas lights. I’ve been driving through different neighborhoods to show her all the different lights. Then we took Danica to see the lights at Mikes’ Farm. It was so much fun! We arrived at 5:00 p.m. and put our name on the waiting list for the restaurant- 4 hour wait. It was late and it was Saturday night- no shock there, right. There was plenty to do in 4 hours, so we decided to stick around- we were going to anyway so we could see the Christmas lights. Two different lines- one for tickets and one for the hayride- took us almost 3 hours. Danica and I hung out in the Santa Barn while Joe stood in line- it was freezing outside! The Santa Barn was heated and Santa was there. I think Danica sat in Santa’s lap three times and watched Frosty the Snowman twice. LOL! Three hours later, we saw lights and they were beautiful. Danica loved it, so it was worth it. I asked Joe if he thought it would be neat to be called to the restaurant once we returned from the light show. And we were! We only had an additional 20 minute wait and the food was so GOOD! Their mac-n-cheese was the best I’d ever eaten.
Number Two-I’ve read the Christmas Story every night since Thanksgiving. I thought I would get different books, but since she isn’t three yet, I decided to read the same exact book every night. And I’m so glad I did. She now tells me the story- and not just when I open the book. I asked her to tell Travis and Chelsea where Mary and Joseph went to have Baby Jesus and she said, “Bethlehem”. And she also told them that she star’s name is “David”. So proud of my girl! I’ve spent a lot of time talking to her about Jesus and sharing the precious story of his birth. I want her to really focus on him for Christmas! It’s such an easy story to love.
Number Three- Danica is so excited about Santa. She loves all the Santa themed Christmas songs and gets excited when she sees any Santa- from yard ornaments to Mall Santas. I took her to Mema’s church for their Christmas play (Star of Wonder) and Santa made a special visit. When he walked in the door and sat down on his chair, Danica ran into his arms and gave him the biggest hug. It was big enough to make a momma tear up. Santa gave her princess dress-up set and she has worn it every day since he gave it to her. And she’ll tell you Santa gave it to her, too. As a matter of fact, I took her to Ulta recently (I usually don’t take her shopping with me). After picking out a gift for a friend of mine, I turned around and found Danica sitting on the floor covered in chapsticks. I asked her what she was doing and her response was, “tell Santa I want all of these for Christmas.” So I told her if she would help me put all of them back on the shelf, it was a deal. And she was an awesome helper! It was the best shopping trip with Danica ever. I can’t wait to go back to that store and get her stocking stuffers.
My favorite part of Christmas has been our church services. Christmas Eve last year was the first night we attended Covenant Church. We’ve attended regularly ever since. Now that Christmas is upon us, our pastor is doing a phenomenal job recreating the Christmas story for us- and in such a creative way. Last Sunday, he focused on Mary’s story and this past Sunday he honed in on Joseph. Isn’t it amazing that God CHOSE them to parent his son?!
I’ve been thinking a lot about Mary in particular. Consider this: God CHOSE Mary. It’s so amazing to me to think that God chose a virgin woman to carry a child for him, and without hesitation (considering all the issues that could come into play), she said YES. My guess is that God KNEW that Mary would say yes. He obviously knew her heart and knew that she wouldn’t hesitate. That’s what is so amazing to me- that God knows our hearts and knows if we are going to say “yes” or “no” before he even asks. I am so envious of Mary. We struggle with the things God asks us to do every day and we know he exists- we have our proof. We live AFTER our Savior. Mary didn’t have proof of a Savior, she CARRIED our Savior. With NO proof, Mary still said YES. What a miracle! I want a heart like Mary’s. She certainly is an amazing woman.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
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