It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's December 1st and the Woods are in total holiday mode. The tree is up, the decorations are out, the outdoor lights are on, a few presents have been purchased and my Christmas CD collection is rockin on ready. This morning, to officially kick off the festivities, I made breakfast while wearing my Santa hat. Lydia and Dave promptly donned there's as well and we had a merry time eating our eggs and bacon. Afterwards everybody got ready and we headed to the mall for our annual visit with Santa. Lydia was 5th in line and ready with her list. We only allow her to ask for 3 things and this year she requested the following: A Barbie dream house, a diary and a red-eyed tree frog Webkinz. Yes, that's correct. Not a unicorn or a horse or a puppy. A red-eyed tree frog. That is the dichotomy that is my daughter. Santa assured her he has been watching her all year and that she had been a very good girl. He promised her a few "surprises". I just love Santa for that.

This year we decided not to buy the obscenely overpriced mall pictures and instead opted for the "take it yourself for free" package. I think we made the right decision. Now we can take the money we saved and buy her a new wardrobe or something. Here is Photography by Dave:


When we were done, we headed home for lunch before packing Lydia up for a trip to Grandmommy's house. She'll be spending the night there while Dave & I officially kick off the party season with the first of 4 parties we'll be attending in the next four weeks. Starting things off tonight will be our Sunday School class party. We'll be playing Dirty Santa which is always fun....unless your married to a man who actually tries to steal the worst gifts. Case in point, last year we came home with a very realistic looking raccoon puppet. I awakened the next morning to find it resting on my pillow staring at me with it's disgusting little beady eyes. Nothing says Christmas like a raccoon.

Tomorrow night will be Lydia's children's choir performance. It's her first year on the "big kid stage" and she is beyond excited. Since I'm one of the choir teachers, I'll be busy working but hopefully Dave can get some pictures for me to share.

As busy as we get, I love this time of year. With all the parties, musicals, decorations and shopping it's easy to get distracted. Fortunately, I just started a new devotional book, Beth Moore's "90 Days with Jesus the One and Only". This first week, of course, has been all about Gabriel's visit to Mary, her reaction to her calling and the birth of Christ. As the pressure of the season seems to be mounting, I've loved having that time in the morning to put everything into perspective. Every year I say it and every year it seems harder to do, but I really don't want to miss the reason for the season. I don't want to lose sight that it was a choice God didn't have to make.

I love Christmas for a lot of reasons; the music, the traditions, the food, the time with family and friends and the wonder in my daughter's eyes. It's my prayer that this year I can love it simply for Jesus.