Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


I'll try to post some pictures today of our christmas time. I can't believe how this month has just flown by and how fast all the food gets eaten. I didn't cook as much as I usually do but we did have cookies and eggnog- I have to say that I do enjoy our homemade eggnog- Justin has drank more than anyone in the family though. I think he has one of his Grandpa Emmetts genes because he was asking for it the moment Thanksgiving was over! I always knew growing up that Christmas was upon us when I would open the refrigerator and there was a carton of Eggnog:) .
We waited a while to set up our Christmas tree because we just didn't have that much to set up this year. After the first flood in our home we lost almost every christmas decoration. Yep, it was sad, I think that was one of the main reasons I dreaded putting up the christmas tree. It wasn't going to have all the decorations we have collected over the years. Ornaments from friends, loved ones, and those we had collected from so many nations: Israel, Philippines, China, Thailand, Malaysia, and India. Well, finally it was the 15th and we decided we had to have the house decorated for when Josh came home so we went in the storage area under the stairs and began pulling out everything that we had, which was the christmas tree.
After getting into the storage area, I realized the tree was in the very back so the kids and I began pulling it out and as we were getting things ready to go back in to the storage area I saw this one box that looked alot like one that we had brought from China to Thailand. I thought every one of the boxes had been distroyed in the flood. This one hadn't even been opened and that was odd. I asked Dwayne if he knew about this one box and he said, melissa they were all destroyed and I said, well there is one in here. He got up and came to see and said, "sure enough! there is! " So, we pulled it out and guess what? It was some of our Christmas Ornaments. Even though the box didn't look damaged most of the ornaments from the bottom to the middle were "nasty", molded, some mushy, some just stanky. So we began sorting through them, washing them and when it was all said and done. Our tree was full of many of the memories of years past!

That is truly what I love about the Christmas tree. It is a remembrance of the years past, where we have been, what we looked like because we have some ornaments that have our pictures on them. Like one of Dwayne when he was in the 4th grade. :) It is a reminder of nations that have yet to hear the Name of Jesus. It is full of reminders that there is reason to celebrate in giving. We have after all received the greatest Gift of all, Jesus Christ!

So, our christmas was blessed in a real special way.

I sure hope that this holiday season you have been blessed in a special way. I know that our family has been blessed in so many ways!

From our home to yours!
Have a Merry Christmas!