Christmas Spirit

November was a stressful month for many in our family. My granddad was sick and in the hospital a good portion of it. But, by Thanksgiving, things began to improve some and settle down for most of us (aside from my mom who's been taking care of my grandparents regularly since then). That said, as the holidays approached it was definitely a sweet time to be spending with family.

First, we went to Granny's. I found this quick and easy idea on Pinterest one day. So simple and a big hit!

Before turkey

...and after

Later, we headed up to have supper at my grandparents' with my mom. (My belly felt ready to pop by the end of the day!) Though on oxygen, it was so nice to see my granddaddy sitting down to the table with us again.

As do most families, we began getting into the Christmas spirit quickly after Thanksgiving. The first matter of business - our tree! Though I was in a cranky mood that day for some reason or another (I can't remember now), the kids didn't seem to notice and had a wonderful time hanging ornament after ornament from the limbs. Most of the ornaments were on the bottom and clumped together, and I thought about rearranging them later when the kids weren't looking, but in the end decided just to let their masterpiece stand this holiday season. 

In the next week or so, more Christmas decor made it's way out of the closet. I love unpacking my favorites - some that I look forward to seeing each year and others I've forgotten about and am excited to find again. The kids' were happiest about the ones they could play with.

We found some wall clings I didn't know we had that turned out to be a good source of entertainment. Hadley decided at one point to turn our little snowman into a doggy, complete with a scarf tail. They crack me up.

House preparations weren't the only thing nor the most important one that we were getting ready for Christmas. We spent a lot more time this year trying to get our hearts ready for the upcoming season.

For starters, Dave and I got to participate in an adult Bible study called the "Bethlehem Experience" (led by the pastor who married us) during the kids' Awana time weekly in November and December. I definitely felt like it helped prepare our spirits for Christmas as it opened up some good discussions and helped us to meditate on the Biblical narrative in ways we hadn't before. One thing in particular that really struck me was the way that through the whole ordeal, God placed people in Mary's life for her to connect with and relate to, encouraging her in a journey that she was uniquely experiencing. I thought it was beautiful that He had prepared Elizabeth to be an encouragement in the beginning stages, and immediately after the birth of Christ we see how the shepherds' words were meant to strengthen Mary yet again in this incredible calling as it says she pondered their words in her heart. If we look farther, we even see Christ on the cross making sure that his mother is cared for in that excruciating next season of her struggle. What a personal God!

I also got the chance to take place in a ladies' fellowship activity called "Christmas Teas" promoted by that same church. At the beginning everyone got acquainted as we enjoyed snacks followed by a couple games, but the best part was the Bible study that followed. We looked at each set of characters in the biblical account of Christ's birth and discussed how God both grew and ministered to each set. We were asked to think about who we identified with the most and it was interesting to hear the varied responses.

Beyond the Bible studies, Dave and I also had the chance to go to the adults only Christmas dinner the church hosted. This was a great opportunity for us since, aside from a couple dates to go minivan shopping and to grab a bite to eat, we hadn't really had any date nights since his company holiday party last year. More importantly though, it was a good opportunity to fellowship and meet more people at New Hope Bible Church since we are in the process of church searching and trying to figure out where God is leading us.

Since we've been visiting a New Hope for a couple months, the kids also got the privilege of being part of their Christmas pageant this year. Caleb was a "Bethelehem person" and Hadley a cow. Aren't they precious?

With the kids, we also participated in a live walk through nativity in Winchester called "Follow the Star." Dave and Caleb went last year as a special night out together, but the rest of us had stayed behind due to the frigid temperatures. This year we thought we'd try it all together but didn't know quite what we were getting in to. We planned to arrive on the early side but still ended up being in the line for hours in the bitter cold. Reid was in a mood and was adamant that he be held the ENTIRE time, making things really difficult for Dave since his arms took the brunt of it because our "little" fella is just too heavy for his pregnant mommy to hold very long standing up. Hadley's little legs got tired too waiting all that time and she was struggling as well. To make matters worse, Reid had a leaky diaper that got his pants soaked towards the last part and since we'd taken a hay ride to get to where the nativity was we couldn't get back to our vehicle easily or quickly. I prayed and prayed that God would just protect him from feeling it and amazingly, he never complained. Though the production was great and we appreciated the cookies and hot chocolate they provided, I think next year we'll shoot for an indoor nativity to check out instead.

Another thing Dave did with the kids this year was Advent devotionals and calendars. We weren't super consistent about doing it EVERY night, but he did get in quite a few lessons and discussions with the kids. Reid (the little rascal) kept pulling the stickers off everyone's calendars, so we eventually had to give up on that but it was something different to try and kept the story of Christ in our mouths and minds for the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Each year I still feel like there is a long way to go towards keeping ourselves grounded in Christ and not getting caught up in the worldly things that revolve around Christmas. The thing is though that if we maintain a strong focus all year long, we shouldn't have to try that hard when the holidays hit. We will already be in the habit of turning from society's routine to renewing our minds. Something to shoot for in this new year and the ones to come...