This wasn’t the Christmas I imagined for my family. This past week I worked nearly full time hours and three of the little ones fell ill with bronchitis and the stomach flu. We didn’t decorate cookies, make candies or visit family. We didn’t even finish our Jesse Tree or Names of Jesus devotions. Despite all our “didn’t dos” we still managed to have a lovely and quiet day.

Yesterday we opened gifts together and today we opened our stockings from Santa. We all had a wonderful Christmas and picked thoughtful gifts for each other. My friend Camie sent us a lovely box of gifts for Christmas. One of the gifts was for my birthday but I didn’t realize it and put it under the tree! She gave me the loveliest gift for my birthday, something sacred from her heart.

Despite all the things to do that I managed to get done and all that is still left undone; some time was found to reflect on the heart of Christmas. Of all the Christian feasts it is the one I understand the least. Just over two thousand years ago God wrote himself into his creation. He became a part of his own creation just to show us how truly loved we are. Only a love of the depths that I cannot even imagine can make Christmas a reality. I look at the Nativity scene completely stupified. Crazy, unbelievable, amazing, confusing…magnificent. The heart of Christmas leaves me without words and feelings I cannot define.

I hope your Christmas was beautiful and you find a bit of the magic in your daily life this coming year.

my birthday apple…no cake for me!
Sparkles
Middle Boy
Littlest
Google wished me a happy birthday and I was creeped out enough to dream about living off grid
Homeschool Adventure group christmas party
Temple ornament from my friend
Oldest learned to make banana pudding
banana pudding…my favorite
Boots stayed at our feet hoping for some banana pudding too
sick Middle Boy
Sparkles and Boots by the tree. This is the day she fell ill.
it isn’t Christmas without Scrooged
my big Christmas pile!
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