Delightful Day

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen. " ~Author unknown, attributed to a 7-year-old named Bobby

Currently:

Reading: Zondervan Comparative Study Bible (I was told it was not that much!)

Watching: White Christmas

Listening: "I Celebrate the Day" by Relient K

And with this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could convey
If only I could find the words to say to let You know how much You've touched my life
Because here is where You're finding me, in the exact same place as New Year's eve
And from a lack of my persistency
We're less than half as close as I want to be

And the first time
That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I'll compare the things I felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That You have come to meet me here

To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me
In the hope that what You did
That you were born so I might live
To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me

And I, I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day pray for You to save my life

"Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts." ~Janice Maeditere

Today has been such a great day! I couldn't choose between these three quotes for today's post so I hope you enjoyed the extras. 

I hardly slept last night in anticipation for this morning. And it had nothing to do with gifts under the tree. At least not the gifts for me. I woke up this morning, sat in bed, and thanked Jesus for coming to this earth to give me the grace which was so much more than I'll ever deserve. I pictured the already marvelous feeling of having this soft, chubby, little baby in your arms, and imagined the magnificence of all man kind wrapped into it's warm little face.

The presents under the tree

After I had thoroughly enjoyed that time thanking Him for coming to my rescue time and time again; I ran to my mother's room and promptly announced that Santa had come as ecstatically and enthusiastically as my four year old nephew probably did. I dragged my mother out of bed and went to get ready for this day. I didn't want to spend the whole day in pajamas and I was ready to get my day under way. I couldn't wait to give her the Christmas' she always made happen for us. It was a great joy getting to watch my mom guess, unwrap, and register what I had bought her. Even more so than opening my own present, the fore mentioned Bible that cost way more than I would ever spend on myself.

Mom's big surprise

I've made breakfast, video chatted with the kids, and am now snuggled in on the couch with a blanket and cup of hot cocoa before I prepare to make this evenings dinner of cheese stuffed tortellini with a homemade pesto cream sauce and garlic bread. Oh and my grandmother's jello salad we had every holiday she was here. The only thing I am missing is a fire... but there's a cozy one in my heart.  

The kid's in their Christmas outfits I bought them.

My brother and sil said they were told they were the best dressed kids all night!

I hope you are celebrating this day. I hope you enjoy your family. 

And I hope you see beyond the presents you've received today.

Because the greatest gift is the one we received two thousand some odd years ago. 

Merry Christmas from mine to yours!

"This is the message of Christmas:  We are never alone."  ~Taylor Caldwell

(Yes I know I cut off faces, it was intentional to maintain privacy for my family who may not want to be spread across here! Their faces are in the actual, un-cropped photos)