Becca: Making Christmas (is so fine!)

It's ours this time and won't the children be surprised?! It's ours this time! Making Christmas, making Christmas, making Chriiiistmas!

(So I've been known to be mildly obsessed with Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" ... that doesn't make me a bad person! ... right?)

So I always get really excited for Christmas! I haven't as much this year, but as it is officially Christmas eve-eve (yes, you got that right), I hereby give myself and the rest of the holly jolly world permission to be excited about Christmas! I have two days left to revel in Christmas carols and twinkle lights and Santa's face being on EVERYTHING.

Come on, people! "It's CHRISTMASTIME!! Hee-hee-hee-hee!!"

I get to go to my first-ever Christmas Eve service tomorrow night at my "new" church (which I joined in September), and I'm excited! You know, I've heard the Baby Jesus story more times than I can count, but it always becomes so much more real to me when Christmas is put in perspective; that Jesus wasn't born to be "Sweet Little Baby Jesus" for all time, but to be the Messiah, who ended up DYING for us. Not only dying - if he were just another martyr, I wouldn't be a Christian. But he sacrificed the love of His Father for us. He was the only human being to ever experience the absence of God, and He IS God! I don't know if that means much to many people, but for me, just knowing that God is always with me - not just "watching over me", but is actually with me - helps even when I can't seem to feel Him there. I can't imagine the terror and chaos and pain that would befall me if God were to turn His face from me for even a moment. And God's own Son took THAT blow for me? Along with taking on mortal human nature and living life in a world full of temptation and living a sinless life through that temptation and being abandoned by His friends and distrusted and hated by the very people He created and then being humiliated, mocked, cursed, tortured and finally killed ... can you even begin to imagine the kind of pain that an eternal, perfect, omniscient God must have gone through every moment of every day seeing His beautiful world fallen and in ruins, and having to go through it all just like everyone else did? I try sometimes to imagine what horror must have been His as He went through His day-to-day life knowing that so many of the people he saw and reached out to were going to spend eternity without Him, and then His own personal struggles with the temptation to rebel against God.

... It brings me a deeper sense of peace knowing that Christmas isn't about the presents, or the lights, or the cute baby sitting in a manger. It's about a God - THE God - who suffered everything that a person can suffer and then some, because He loved His people so much. He did all that and saved me, too, just so I wouldn't have to live another day of my life without His love. :) It's amazing how easy it is to lose sight of that sometimes. But Christmas is a good time to remember.

And yes, I still like the Tim Burton movie. So sue me. :)

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Love,
Becca

P.S. I never believed in Santa. o:

Heather: Christmas time!

Howdy to all 4 of you who actually read this!
Sorry its been awhile.. I'm gonna go ahead and blame that on my busy schedule.

ANYWAYS. It's a whoppin' two weeks and two days away from Christmas! :) Yayyyyyy for Christmas. <3 I am a BIG fan of getting people presents.. whether it's for Christmas, their birthday, or just cause I love them. They mean something to me, and I want them to know it (that's my logic for all the money I spend on gifts.. just fyi).
Well, this year I'm having lotsa fun shopping for everyone, and I'm almost completely done getting all my people's gifts! :D YAYYY! ..I'm somewhat proud of myself for this, in case ya couldn't tell.

If you haven't purchased x-mas gifts yet, that's okay. Don't feel TOO bad.. you still have a couple weeks. ;)

I wish I could tell you all the gifts I've purchased (and have yet to get), but sadly, someone very close to my family is muh partner in crime for this blog.. *COUGHBECCACOUGH* ..yeah. So, I apologize. 

BUT HEY. Tomorrow, the Hauer's are gonna have a family-putting-up-the-tree/ornaments/Christmas decor-day. :) Am I excited? Yes. I am. I love the general feeling that comes from everyone during the winter holidays.. with Christmas music filling the air, the delicious smell of candles, and sometimes even the smell of freshly baked goodies coming from our kitchen. :) I dunno, maybe it's just me, but I find that atmosphere comforting.

But, if for some reason your Christmas season is normally not that joyous, here are 5 tips on how to add a little happy to your holiday:

1) Make (and then share) cookies. Almost anyone you meet will smile at the chance to taste some homemade heaven.

2) IFYOUHAVEAFIREPLACE, start a fire. In the fireplace. Not in the middle of the living room.. that would be a bad idea. But a fire going crackle-cackle is always a nice relaxing sound. :) ..in my opinion, anyway. And no, I'm not a pyromaniac.

3) Smile (nicely) at a stranger! Yeahyeahyeah, I know. "People are scary!".. they probably think the exact same thing about you. So, go out of your comfort zone, and bring them a little holiday cheer. :)

4) Start singing Christmas songs! It doesn't matter where you are. If you're at home, in a treacherously long line at Wal-Mart, sitting at your desk at work, IT DOESN'T MATTER. Singing is just a recipe for joy. ..And if your voice isn't half bad, other people might start singing along too. :D

5) Last but not least, get someone you know a gift. Gift giving shouldn't be about winning someone's love or favor, it should be a gesture that shows them that you love THEM. Honestly, and I know this is probably gonna be a shocker, they probably forgot to get you something this year. Don't hold it against them! Their schedule might be just as (if not more) busy then yours. Let them know you think about them, they'll appreciate it. 

So there ya go! I hope and pray all of you have an excellent Christmas, and a happy new year! :)

You're blessed. <3