Holiday Wishes...

By the time you read this, Christmas will have come and gone. I, however, am writing this before we have actually been through it... The holidays have always been so busy for us, run here and there. Only home for short breaks. This will will be a simple one. The kids and I will go to church and then go home to a nice quiet, peaceful evening. We will open gifts, put on our pajamas and watch a Christmas movie. I am looking forward to it. We don't have much for decorations this year. That's what happens when you move in December. We do have a tree with two strands of lights that don't quite cover it, and maybe four ornaments on it. There is no star, not an angel at the top, not this year. We have an elf on the shelf but he never made his appearance this year. He just couldn't keep track of us, so he took a year off. My marathon baking did not happen with my kids; it took place with two dear friends instead. Which actually worked out better. This is the first Christmas that I have been working. I am not home with my kids their entire Christmas break. They are enjoying time with friends, so it all worked out. The gifts will be fewer and that's ok. My sweet children tend to be very spoiled by relatives. They still will be, it just won't overflow to my house. We wrapped gifts this year for the giving tree, and it was so much fun. I hope more than anything what my kids get out of this year is the realization of how blessed we are. It may be a very simple Christmas, but we have each other, and so many dear friends. Really, that is what we need most. Their sweet, smiling faves tell me every morning they are happy. That, in return, makes me happy. This year was such a whirlwind, for the first time, I am looking forward to Christmas being over. The tree takes up much needed space in our house, and it just doesn't feel the same. My kids excitement will enhance the spirit, as will church. It just really snuck up on me, and I feel like I don't have time for it this year. But, I digress, we are so truly blessed and fortunate to have the people we have in our lives. I can't thank them enough for helping me this year, especially this past month. You all have truly shown me the meaning of Christmas, and for that, I thank you! I will leave you with wishes for a wonderful, simple holiday. May your New Year be full of blessings, happiness, health, new experiences and some of the best memories... "We will open the book. It's pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Jeana