The reason for the season

I am really loving this Christmas season. Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year, but having kids of your own just brings it so much closer to the heart. And as my kids get older, each year is filled with more and more fun, excitement and wonder. Traditions and memories take on a whole new meaning; as does the real Gift we are celebrating.












Savannah's own Nativity set in her bedroom

Now that Savannah is old enough to really start understanding who God is and that His gift of the baby Jesus is what we are celebrating every year at this time, even I am seeing the miracle of it in a whole new light. It is a heartwarming thing to watch her play with her nativity set and "play out" the scenes. It is encouraging that she wants to hear the Christmas story over and over again... she not only flips through the few books we have all through her rest time, but she wants me to read the story from her Children's Bible, and even from our Bibles. It makes me smile to hear her singing Away in a Manger at the top of her lungs to her baby dolls, and it brings a tear to my eye when I overhear her telling her baby brother about the shepherds and wisemen and how the mommy Mary loved God so much that He gave her baby Jesus to take care of.

Sure, it's so much fun to see the kids excited about the *magic* of Christmas and Santa and decorations and giving gifts and doing more for charities and all of the wonderful things that make up our holidays. But what really makes my heart full is knowing that even though Savannah is so young and cannot possibly begin to understand the true greatness of the Christmas story, she will grow up with Jesus in her heart and will hopefully spend the rest of her life wanting to unwrap more and more of this great miracle and mystery of Christ coming to our world. I pray that she learns to let Christ be in her world every day. I pray that she -I pray that all my children- can learn that Christ was not simply born that night long ago in Bethlehem, but that He IS Born, and what that means for each of us in our hearts each and every day.