Welcome, December!

Love love love December.  There are so many special things for our family that happen during December and January.  Besides the obvious much-adored family time we get to have at Christmas, there are several birthdays (and when I say several- I mean 7 between our 2 families!), our anniversary (4 years this year!  I feel old.), and vacation time.

I play Christmas music starting in October, if not a little earlier.  Thankfully, my husband puts up with it pretty well. Our tree tradition is to order pizza, put up the tree, and then watch Muppets Christmas Carol. Childish, I know, but we love it. I think originally the tradition was to just watch a Christmas movie, but we always end up choosing this one.

This year, we put our tree up the weekend before Thanksgiving.  We planned to do it on a Friday night because, well, it was the only night we had free. 
Disaster.  Here is why:

• Daniel had to work late, so he didn't get home until 9 (after 14 hours of work) and we decorated for an hour.  =(  He had a bad day, but did a really good job of leaving it at work and loving on me when he got home.  Still, I knew he was fuming inside.  My heart hurts when that happens.
• We had purchased a tree for $10 at a rummage sale and it was an 8.5 footer.  Gorg. Took it out of the box, and an entire section is missing.  Had to put up our Charlie brown 4 footer instead.
• Had gotten Muppets Christmas Carol from someone at work on a flash drive.  He said any newer flat screen should have a USB port for us to watch it from.  I didn't check until Friday night.  Nope.  No movie.
• Pizza was kinda cold.  I ate too much of it because of my emotional eating issues.

Ugh.  The whole time, I was thinking "I want to be the kind of person who says, "Well, despite everything, I am so joyful because I have my husband to share it with and so much to be thankful for".  I am ashamed to say that wasn't my attitude at all.  I was being a wretched human being- about to cry because my Christmas tree was only 4 ft tall and I couldn't watch a movie.  Really?  If I could go back in time, I would slap my own face and say "get over yourself".  Oh well!  Here is our tree- it's such an awkward size that I haven't found a tree skirt to fit it and haven't had the time to make one.  I feel like it's in an awkward part of the room, too.  I tell ya- the things we stress over.

I always listen to a local Christian radio station on the way to work and they are mixing in Christmas music with the normal praise and worship.  I heard this song by Casting Crowns the other day and loved it.  New spin on Joyful Joyful.  Not sure if it is new or not- but I would listen to this all year round!

I know everyone says this, but I just can't imagine an all-sovereign, heavenly king being born to be human on earth.  I mean, what was it like in heaven right before that happened?  What would it have been like to know the inner most being of every child- the number of hairs on their heads and number of their days- to then be born as a baby, so hopelessly dependent on a mother for so much?  If women, as mothers, struggle constantly with "am I a good mother", how did Mary feel knowing her Son created the Earth?  Wow.  I wonder if Jesus was some super-toddler.  Ya know?  Crazy.  Will be an exciting day to find that out!  =)

Hoping your are embracing December and much as I am- Love this time of year!