Christmas Ramblings

Derek and I did most of our Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving, but today I finished it up. Man, it feels good to know that I will not be scrambling at the last moment, scouring over picked-over toys and half-filled racks of clothes. The only thing I wanted this Christmas was to ENJOY the season, and that has already been happening.

I did my baking and homemade gift giving two weeks ago and the house has been decorated since the day after Thanksgiving. There are still the inevitable messes- laundry, a dish or two and some toilets that could use a swipe from a wand. For the most part though, I feel free to enjoy the Christmas parties that lie ahead- talking with friends, reminiscing with family and sharing the joy of the season with my children.

Aside from reading a children's version of the story of Christ's birth, Derek and I are trying to figure out creative ways to share the true meaning of Christmas with the boys. We filled two shoe boxes this year for Samaritan's Purse. One was for a 2 year old boy and the other for a "tween" girl. I wish we could have done more this year. We did have an opportunity to give to a family whose home burned down last week though. I want Christmas to be about Christ's love and when my children look back at our family traditions and memories, I want them to remember GIVING and SHARING and LOVING...not GETTING.

As a child, I LOVED...I mean LOVED Christmas. One of the perks of being from a divorced home is that Christmas gets multiplied by two! (Even more if you count Christmas with grandparents) My parents always made Christmas fun and special. I must admit though, growing up I was more focused on gifts and Santa and all of that instead of Christ and His miraculous birth. It is hard though, because I want to shower my children and those I love with gifts- I want to buy them everything in sight! Our tight budget puts a stop to that though, which may not be such a bad thing.

I know that the most important things I will ever give my children will not come packaged in red & green. No bows will be atop the mountains of love and hours of time I will give them. No greeting card will accompany the empathy I have for them when they are sad or the rich words of praise I will doll out when they succeed. They won't find compassion and unconditional love under a tree; nor will their stockings be filled with the hours I will spend driving them to sports practices or band concerts or watching them compete in karate matches. The best gifts are always the ones that come from the heart. It is that thought that gives me comfort when I realize that no, we cannot afford the toy kitchen that Tate would just LOVE, or the Fisher Price bouncing, spinning Zebra that Brit would giggle himself silly on. The Lord has made sure that the Shaws remember the true meaning of Christmas...not to say we don't lose sight of it now and then.

We didn't send out Christmas cards this year for several reasons. I hope that we are able to do that next year though. To our friends and family who may read this blog, we wish you all the blessings and joy and magic that this Christmas Season has to offer. Some of you we haven't seen in years, but know that you are thought of, and most certainly are loved.

Happy Season, dear friends and Merry Christmas.