A Christmas decor cluttered living room... Christmas music softly drifting throughout the house... outside, the sun shines brightly, seemingly piercing through the crisp wintry air... the smell and oddly comforting sound of fresh vanilla coffee brewing... many small voices filled with joy and anticipation, accompanied by those same many little children bouncing up and down with unbundled excitement! These are just some of my favorite things.This was our Sunday morning recently as it started out with heavenly homemade doughnuts topped with sweet maple frosting, piping hot coffee and 'notsohot' "coffee" aka hot chocolate, for all of those excited little ones of ours. It is hard to tell now, but this Christmas tree stood there bare. stark. cold. overnight. Awaiting the magical touch of many tiny hands EAGER to play a part in beautifying our traditional Christmas tree.
It's not about the decorations... it's about the warmth of family, of lights, of grateful hearts, in the midst of this cold season. Celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He was not just an ordinary baby. A baby is just that, a baby! A beautiful miracle indeed, but He was also God! Full of the Father's love, longing to close the rift between man and their maker, so He can have a close relationship with us and give us a life lived with His Spirit's guidance and hearts that are forever united with Him. In baby Jesus' beautiful small hands was the sacrificial love of our heavenly Father's big hands longing to save the whole world! The world He made. Just the same a tree is just a tree. Beautiful indeed, God's handiwork. But it's the family bonding love you put into it, time spent together around it-whether in conversation or in reverent silence-singing may it be, or Bible reading, maybe Advent participating-the special memories you hang on it, that's what makes it even that much more beautiful and meaningful-it brings our hearts even closer together every year.
Small hands helped beautify this ordinary tree and turn it into something pretty special. Memories were made as we treasured and relived our past memories and pondered with amazement that glorious night 2 thousand years ago, the birth of our precious Lord and savior, Jesus.
Small hands helped beautify this ordinary tree and turn it into something pretty special. Memories were made as we treasured and relived our past memories and pondered with amazement that glorious night 2 thousand years ago, the birth of our precious Lord and savior, Jesus.
I remember fondly, the year My main man and I weaved this beloved popcorn string... it was December 2001, our second Christmas as a married couple, but our first in our 'own' more permanent home. We lived in Fort Worth, Texas in a rented little one bedroom apartment. Our firstborn was a sweet little 6 week old. We were so young, just big kids ourselves at barely 20 years old! We were newly moved away from our families... on our OWN! My Main man worked at a CSN station positioned in our church Calvary Chapel Fort Worth... it was a harrowing job at times. Time consuming, yet rewarding. We were homesick, yet overwhelmingly thankful for all of the wonderful friends we had made since moving there January of that year. Our young friends, old friends, new friends and 'parent' friends... we loved them all and we're blessed. Blessed to be where God wanted us, where God had brought us and where we still have friendships today.Just as we started something new that year, in lovingly weaving our own popcorn string and hanging it on our meager Christmas tree, it's a tradition that we still have today... and Lord-willing, will have for many years to come.
God's sovereignty reigns!
Come again, quickly Lord Jesus, come.
Come again, quickly Lord Jesus, come.
I think this guy is pretty special.
We played the annual Smith tradition of Yahtzee!
