Christmas Celebration

"Carry each other's burdens. In this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2

This Christmas was a time for true celebration this year. It was a time to reflect on what joy, hope, and gratitude means to me. I talked before about how I have basically been trying to avoid Christmas over the past several years. This year, I have learned that I not only needed to celebrate, but I also deserved to celebrate. I have learned that every holiday spent with those I love will be special no matter what we do, what we eat, or who is exactly able to be with us. With my family by my side, we celebrated with old traditions, and we made new traditions.

On Christmas Eve, I was thrilled to have all three of our girls with us, along with Justin, Paislee, Tristan, and my mom. We all went to church together as a family. During church we took turns passing Paislee to one another. Christmas Eve service has always been a favorite for all of us. We love it as we always end with lights out, holding lit candles, singing "Silent Night." It is always a special time that brings tears to my eyes. As I held the candle, I couldn't help but think of how my parents, several years ago, donated money specifically for candles and candle holders so that there would be enough for everyone who was in attendance. Years ago, there would be so many people and not enough candles. Today there are plenty to go around so everyone can hold one.

After church our family headed home and started our side dishes. We also took a ton of pictures. Then the girls all changed into our matching pajamas that I ordered from Costco. It was fun being able to dress up and even have Paislee participate. So, we took even more pictures. Bailee reminds me so much of my Grandpa Kenny when it comes to pictures. She always tells us we will take pictures whether we like it or not and that someday we will thank her for it. We even dusted off my old Nikon camera in the past month. It made me realize how much I miss taking pictures. I used to be an avid picture taker and enjoyed taking them and editing them. Somewhere along the line, I stopped taking so many pictures. Maybe it was because smart phones came along, and it was easier to use them or maybe it was after my dad passed away. In any case, it was a huge passion of mine and I really need to get back into it.

Ok, off subject a bit, but on with our Christmas. All of us sat around our table with plenty of room. We had brisket that Mark and I had spent the whole day on Thursday and into the wee hours of the morning on Friday cooking. We sat around and ate and talked and laughed. I looked around at my beautiful family and I was in awe. God has been so good to us, and I felt beyond blessed. My heart felt so happy. After we ate, we cleaned up and sat in the living room. Kalli and Justine passed all the presents out. We have a tradition we use where we write funny or clever things on the gift tags. It gives us a laugh and sometimes, people must think who the gift is intended for. For example: To Princes #1 from the new princess in town; To the fisherman from the true walleye slayer; To the world traveler from the ones who created her; or to the one who is destined to go broke dating our daughter from the ones who are already broke from her. Those are a few I can remember off the top of my head. You will have to guess who they are to and from. After gifts, we sat around and visited a bit and then tried Tristan and Bailee’s new Uzzle game. They both are pretty good at the game and my mom thinks it is a bit unfair because the fastest person wins, and we all know that my mom always takes her time.

Justine, Justin, and Paislee left, and we sat up for a while. Then I decided to get the stockings out and stuff them with treats. I always fill them for whoever is going to be home for Christmas day. Stockings were stuffed with mainly candy and a few odds and ends. We ended up opening them that evening. I even stuffed my own stocking with candy and perfume. We had a good laugh as Tristan opened his stocking full of candy and a huge container of cheese puffs. He replied, "Good I was getting hangry again."

Christmas day was up in the air as to who was coming to our house. Tristan's parents were going to come but were unable to due to illness. The Johnson crew was coming, but Avery had the flu all of Christmas Eve and they were up in the air. Avery ended up feeling better, so they were able to come. Thank goodness because we cooked enough for 25 people. Bailee, Tristan, Kalli, my mom, Beve, Aaron, Grace, Avery, Patty, Mark, and I were all here to celebrate. We stood around in a circle and sang "Johnny Apple Seed" for grace. I hadn't sung that in a long time, and it was so fun and meant a lot to me and brought back a lot of memories of family gatherings past. After we ate, we all visited. Then we played some games. First, Kalli got out her new laser tag and we played with that. I must tell you, I perfected my James Bond moves. I had more fun doing that than trying to win. Then we all sat around and played a few games. Even the guys participated, and we had a lot of laughs. The day turned out to be nothing short of perfect. My favorite part about both days were the company and the laughs. It felt good to laugh because laughter is therapeutic.

Jesus has blessed us, and he shows us his miracles every day. This Christmas represented more than joy. It represented gratitude and hope. We celebrated Mark's first Christmas sober and Paislee's first Christmas in general. We are blessed beyond measure. Don't forget to love whole heartedly, forgive fully, and believe in miracles. Today and every day is a chance to celebrate and be the best version of ourselves as tomorrow is not promised. Happy New Year to each one of you!