White Christmas



With December winding down, I really need to post something here. This month has passed by in a blur of Christmas parties, packing, goodbyes, and traveling. It's been a crazy month full of the unexpected. But with no time to spare and the help of some friends we got everything packed up and made it to the airport on time. Tracking across continents with two small kids in tow is never easy, but they were troopers and survived the long trip better than I could have asked. With our travels behind us we have safely arrived at my parents house and are ready to soak in the Christmas season here.



We have loved our last few Christmas seasons spent in China, it's been a great together time for us and has allowed us the chance to establish our own family traditions. But this year I am relishing the chance to let my kids experience a good old fashioned American Christmas with all of it's trappings. They have never seen houses decked in Christmas lights or been part of a big Christmas service at church. Where we live we have to make all of our own Christmas magic. There are almost no Christmas decorations, no lights on homes, no christmas trees in the homes of friends, no big candlelight church services. And so we have worked hard to make our own Christmas traditions and have found great joy in really celebrating the true meaning of Christmas with our yearly Advent countdown and family devotional time exploring the story of baby Jesus. But after 4 years away, I was eager for my kids to get the chance to see the other side of things. They have loved every minute so far, the big family dinner, the presents under the tree, singing Christmas carols with a crowd in church, the Christmas lights on all the houses, and maybe most exciting of all, a Christmas eve snow! Robbie has been waiting and waiting for snow here in the U.S. We almost never get snow where we live in China so he was convinced that once we hit America the snow would be everywhere and that's how he would know it was Christmas for real. He's been praying for weeks that it would snow on Christmas and it did! It wasn't much and it melted fast, but on Christmas Eve, the snow fell hard enough and long enough for us to have a good snowball fight and make a snowman! I heard Robbie telling Maddie that Christmas was finally here and he knew it because God sent the snow.







We have had a wonderful Christmas so far; going to church together to remember our Savior, eating big family meals, opening presents, singing Christmas carols, and laughing as we have watched the kids play. We still have more family and friends to see in this next week so the fun will continue. I am again reminded of all the blessings my life contains. It is full to overflowing. And as if sending me a Savior in the form of God's only Son wasn't enough for Christmas, God stooped to listen to the prayers of my hopeful 5 year old and sent us some snow as well. Oh how He loves us :) Merry Christmas to all of you, I hope your time with family and friends is sweet and full of joy remembering Him.

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