This Christmas

Merry Christmas for the first time from our new home. This time last year we were getting ready to put our house on the market and by early February we had moved here. So much has changed since then!

If you were to visit my home this Christmas, you would see our Christmas cross wreath displayed over the garage. We aren’t having family over to celebrate, so when my hubby decided to put up outside lights, I didn’t really understand why. Then he got the wreath up, which he made years ago, and the lights finally hanging from the trim above the garage only to discover that the lights on the cross didn’t light! Of course, taking it all down is not fun.

It may sound silly to some, but I asked the Lord to send an angel to fix it for us. Maybe it was an angel, maybe a loose bulb just jiggled into place in the wind, but a few nights later, the cross lit without our intervention! Hmm…

When you reach the porch, don’t ring the doorbell. Kody and Kaelee freak at the sound–it’s really loud! But once you’re inside, you’ll be warmed by the fire in the fireplace and see my favorite decorations of the nativity scene lighting the mantle above.

Our tree looks a little different this year because of the kittens who like to climb it. We attached it to the wall, and the only ornaments on the tree are the unbreakable ones. I miss some of my favorites, but I didn’t want them broken. Still, the focus of most ornaments on our tree has always been Jesus. I love those that tell of His birth. What a sweet reminder! Rejoice!

If you step into the kitchen, you’ll see a lighted centerpiece, the final touch of decorating. This house is smaller than the one we owned for 34 years, and until we find a way or have good reason to drag anything else out of the basement, we’re satisfied with less. The kittens would break anything else, but they won’t be kittens forever. We can accommodate them for now.

We made our Christmas cookies in Oregon at Thanksgiving this year. Our two-year-old granddaughter enjoyed putting the sprinkles on the cookies she helped Papa make. Instead of cookies, my baking hubby has been making pumpkin and donut muffins so we’d be happy to share some of those.

We won’t have loads of gifts to set under the tree like we did when the kids were small, but that’s okay. I’ve been buying too many toys for the kittens because they have somehow figured out a way to lose nearly every toy we give them. It’s like losing socks in the dryer. Or we have a black hole somewhere. One day, probably when we move again, we’ll find them!

If you did come to visit, we’d love to spend time reading the biblical Christmas story with you. I used to love reading the story books with illustrations to help us better see and reflect on why we celebrate Christmas. Without Jesus, this is just a winter holiday.

I know we can’t really be together in person, and I hope and pray that you have friends or family to hold near to you this season. But even if you are alone, please know that if you know Jesus, you are never alone. Jesus is a simple prayer away, and He promises to never leave us or abandon us. He always keeps His promises.

There is so much more we could talk about, but for now I will wish you a Christmas with a heart wiling to see Jesus for who He really is. A mind willing to consider why He came and why it matters. And a soul that is fully aware of His love for you. It is unfailing and everlasting.

Merry Christmas!