Christmas Morning 2015

There is nothing in this world quite like watching the excitement on the faces of your children as they come out on Christmas morning. I was too busy watching to get any good photos of their expressions, but I love seeing their saucer sized eyes and watching them dance around. The boys were spoiled by our extended family and in spite of Benjamin and I trying to spend a more modest amount they made out like bandits still.

Although Christmas morning is exciting and a highlight for the kids, I think my favorite part of Christmas is sitting on the couch at night with just the tree lights twinkling and feeling so peaceful. I have memories from when I was very small of doing that, only in our house my mom also would have special Christmas candles lit. One of the candle holders was hand made with wax-covered Christmas cards, and I distinctly remember one card was of baby Jesus wrapped in blankets on a blue background, and I remember just looking at it and feeling deeply peaceful and knowing He is real. Again, an experience I hope to emulate for my own children. To help us with that this year we did our first run through of an advent book I put together years ago when I was in Young Women's. Some of the stories were a little cheesy, but there were more than one that left me with a lump in my throat and a heart filled with the Spirit, and I'm hoping to refine it and repeat it in the future to help our children get a deeper sense of "the reason for the season".