Great Christmas

We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve this year. It was a great day. I posted pictures on Facebook. I actually was surprised with some neat gifts this year. I'm always so busy shopping for everyone that I forget that I get presents too! My sister bought me a tool set for women: The hammer is lighter and smaller, the tape measure is lighter and smaller, and everything is pink. I LOVE IT!!! You know I love to build shelves and stuff, so it was the PERFECT gift. My mom got me a automated hammer. You push it up against a nail, pull the trigger, and it nails it in for you. Pretty cool! My mom also got me a few more goodies: jewelry and another twilight related movie. Michael got me another cake decorating class. I did the first one two years ago and LOVED it, and he got me the next one. I think that was the perfect gift for me - he knows me so well and loves me so much. What a good guy.

Everyone liked what I got them, and it was a great day. Good breakfast, good lunch, good times, lots of laughs. We read Luke 2 at breakfast, which is a family tradition. Then Kara and I went to the candlelight service at church, which is a first for me. It's always so crowded that I skip it, but Michael was sick this year and I couldn't pass up starting a tradition with my girl. Kara had her own candle and everything and did very well. She doesn't know the songs yet, but she belted her own words and sat still and was very good. Eventually she'll say it doesn't feel like Christmas until she goes to church. On the way home I took her around the neighborhoods to look at the Christmas lights on people's houses. It was really fun.

Now everything is put away and clean. We're all spending the day in pjs and watching it snow. They're calling for 5 inches and we have nothing we have to do but play with toys and watch it snow. I'm definitely feeling blessed and very happy. This was a great Christmas. I didn't stress (except maybe one day) and I was able to focus on Jesus as much as possible and try to get Kara to focus on him as much as possible (which took a lot of work in this society!). He is the reason for the season! Praise God for sending his Son to this broken world who doesn't deserve Him. I am so happy He was born!!!