Christmas Magic

Since I'm not sure how much time I'm going to be holed up in my room this Christmas, I decided to invest in some Christmas magic. I don't know that mom understands. On one hand, she complains and makes faces whenever we discuss Christmas decorating. Yet, on the other hand, she encourages the children at times to add more to the mess.

The True Magic of Christmas...The Birth of a Child who was and is our King

For example, on Monday night when Max, Mason and Aurora were decorating the tree, someone asked if we should get more bulbs for the tree. Trying to be considerate of mom, I suggested that perhaps we had enough. Mom disagreed and thought we should continue to add more. I was surprised and mentioned that I thought it may be good to minimize the number of bulbs as would make clean up easier when Christmas was over.

A similar incident happened when we were pulling out the mugs. I wasn't about to argue about that one at all!

The First Christmas Mug of the Season!

When mom brought me my coffee yesterday, I swear it tasted even better because it was served in a beautiful Christmas mug.

It was just what I needed to get into the Christmas Spirit. Now if I can just bake some goodies. That would take the cake!

The Day After, The Day After Christmas

On the Friday after Christmas, we gathered at my dad's to celebrate Christmas with him. We don't do this every year, mostly years that Vic and/or Eliz are in town.

Before we went to dad's, I took any takers to Dripp since it's only ten minutes from his house.

I tried the Turkish Latte…blech! It was the most horrible coffee drink EVER!

It was the first time I ever sat upstairs. Up to this time, I had never even ventured into that section.

It allowed me the opportunity to get a few shots with a different point of view.

We had a fun time at dad's. It was odd having a gaggle of little ones again.

Max was exceptionally cute. He found a little flower that he went around giving and then taking back from all grownups. First he gave it to Aunt Sharonda, then asked for it back so he could give it to his mom. At least he was polite about it, telling Aunt Sharonda, "I'm sorry". He even gave it to Uncle Greg.

After a delicious Italian meal, some time just hanging around together, there were a number of scrumptious desserts to enjoy.

Then we got down to business exchanging presents. Aurora was given the first gift to open and Max excitedly asked if there was a "big" present for him.

Somehow he lucked out and Great Grandpa pulled out a large wrapped box with Max's name on it. Max was beside himself with joy and even more so after he opened it up to find a set of five jumbo action heroes in there.

Nothing sweeter at Christmas time than the pure joy of a child.

Remembering Christmas

This has to be one of my most favorite Christmas's in recent memory. There was the magic of children's laughter in the air, I awoke on Christmas morning with both my children in the house and the number of loved ones surrounding us grew until the house was bursting at the seams.

Christmas Eve, as usual, starts with a few family members gathered around at my grandmother's gravesite to catch up on our lives and reflect on how God is working in them. It's one of my most favorite traditions. I was happy to see my cousins there. They had lost their father exactly a year ago so they arrived early to spend some time at his gravesite with their mom before meeting us at grandma's.

Greg and his family stopped by on Christmas Eve for a few hours so we were able to spend some time with them before the festivities ratcheted up. My nephews have such personality and character. I enjoy being with them immensely.

JJ surprised me with a giant print of his gorgeous photo "Two Trees". I cried because of the reason he told me he was giving it to me and I asked him to write about the photo on the back of the frame and to sign the print.

He is so sweet and I am so blessed.

I somehow managed to bake a batch of Matthew's favorite cookies…Mexican Teacakes…as he has asked for them for several years now. He rewarded with me with that special smile he has when he's especially happy and by popping several in his mouth within moments upon his arrival. No matter his age, he still has his mommy's heart.

Matt and Ash arrived in plenty of time before the 11pm Candlelight service, my other most favorite tradition. Mom graciously offered to watch the little ones so I could attend the service with everyone.

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without singing Silent Night in a darkened church with the glow of candlelight warming the room as the clock strikes midnight. I could give up the tree, the lights, the decorations, the presents, but I couldn't give up the candlelight service.

Shortly after 6am on Christmas morning, I awoke to the calls of Max and Rori from the bedroom across mine. I jumped hobbled excitedly out of bed and got them from their room. The house was still quiet and dark. Too little to know it was Christmas morning, they climbed down the stairs like any other morning in which they have spent the night, but upon seeing the lights on the tree and around the fireplace, Max suddenly understood.

First he wanted to wake Aunt "Bee". We walked back up the stairs to her room and he went up to her bed and said in his sweet little three-year old voice, "Merry Christmas Aunt Bee". There was no movement, no response, nothing. He walked back towards the door where Rori and I were standing, threw his hands up in the air and said "Maybe I say Merry Christmas louder".

"Yes," I responded, laughing inside, "say it louder".

He walked back to her bed and said in a louder voice, "Merry Christmas Aunt Bee". We waited for a moment and the she silently turned over, her back towards little Max. "Say it louder", I told Max. So he did and this time, she sat up, a smile of love and excitement on her face as she opened her arms for a hug from the little guy she loves so much.

What Happened to Christmas

I started the month planning to blog every day. Instead, I worked like Santa's elf, trying desperately to finish Aurora's stocking by Christmas Eve.

Somehow I managed to finish both my Christmas shopping and Aurora's stocking just in the nick of time.

It did mean giving up certain things that were on my list of to-dos this season, such as taking pictures of a Christmas Tree Farm, driving around looking at lights, heading out one more time to the Grove for some Christmas ambience. I'll survive. And there is always the possibility of doing a few of those things this week.

On the last week before Christmas I realized I had hadn't crossed off as many loved ones from my "nice" list as I thought. Knowing my limitations, I decided to hit the stores each night and get one person taken care of at a time. On the plus side, I got to enjoy some of the Christmas lights that I might have otherwise missed.

We did manage to make it to my brother's annual Christmas party. And to Old Orange on the Sunday before Christmas.

It wouldn't be Christmas without Christmas Eve Service where candles are lit and Silent Night is sung right before midnight.

And as we walk outside to greet Christmas morning, "snow" falls in Southern California.

It is always my most favorite part of Christmas.

After a short winter's nap, the morning begins with another favorite part of Christmas...digging into our stockings.

Then into the living room to open presents.

It's enough to make anyone feel like a child.

If that doesn't do it, playing a game of Hungry Hippos will do the trick.

The only thing that would have made the day better would have been having Matthew, Ashley, Maximus and Aurora there to share the memories.

The Tenth

December 10 marks for me that point in the month where I desperately want things to slow down. There are only 15 more days of celebration, of Christmas music, of tidings of joy, of red and green trim in the stores.

Today was no different. As the day wound down, I felt that I should go somewhere, do something in celebration. But there is a house to straighten up and a stocking to be finished. I told myself that tomorrow I'll do something. Maybe I'll stop to see some lights, have a cup of Starbucks as Christmas music fills the coffee shop, maybe I'll make some Christmas cookies, maybe I'll head to the North Pole.

Maybe I'll head to someplace Christmasy, like the Grove and wander around, breathing in the cool air, taking pictures of the light.

The Stockings Were Hung

One of my favorite memories of Christmas as a child was waking up on Christmas morning and seeing our stockings filled with goodies. Coloring books, crayons and Christmas candy was enough to make a little girl's heart jump for joy.

After we moved to Puerto Rico, the tradition of stockings ended for our family. I was never sure why. Probably that first year was too overwhelming for my mom and dad and there were no chimney's to be had in Puerto Rico so there was no place to hang stockings.

Still my heart longed for the magic. One reason why the stockings were so special to me was that our presents from Santa always arrived early. Several times we would ask why our gifts didn't come on Christmas Eve and we were told that Santa had too many presents to deliver all in one night.

On one hand, it was fun to see the gifts suddenly appear and to have days dreaming and wondering about what was inside, but on the other hand unless there was a big special gift, such as a bike, there was a little bit of magic missing. The filled stockings made it apparent that Santa came to our house on Christmas Eve, just like all the others.

When Matthew was born, I was determined that he would experience that magic so I made him a stock, cross-stitching it carefully. I did the same for Brie after she was born too. They seemed to love the filled stockings just as much as I did. They still do.

The number of stockings by our fireplace grew after Vic came home one Christmas and put a ratty sock of his up after we got back from Christmas Eve service. The next year, mom bought him a real stocking of his own. Not to be outdone, the following year, I got mom a stocking, putting it out on Christmas Eve filled with little items such as post-it notes, pens and DVDs. She excitedly exclaimed that it was the first stocking she ever had. The next year, there was a stocking for me. When Ashley joined our family, we added another one for her.

Much to my delight, after Maximus was born, I mentioned something about making him a stocking and Matthew happily said that he was wondering if I was going to make him one. I must confess, I forgot how much work they were and didn't finish Max's until two days AFTER Christmas. With Aurora's arrival, I've been busy working on hers. The kids keep asking me if I'm going to be finished in time. Oh, yes, I will.

It looks like we're going to need a bigger mantle...or smaller stockings.

O Come All Ye Faithful

As a Christian, it is difficult for me to comprehend how anyone could celebrate Christmas without being a believer in Christ. It may be wrong, but I've not had an issue with the whole Santa thing. I have had an issue with the whole "holiday" thing. 

I understand that there are those who sadly don't believe in God or in Jesus as the son of God so it would be much to expect them to understand. Church this time of year because even more special. Singing Christmas songs with the rest of the congregation, lighting advent candles, anticipating the arrival of a baby boy who would become our salvation is what makes Christmas all that it is. 

It is important to me to find a gift that is worthy of God. Every year, I fall short of this goal. Here it is the night of the 2nd of December and I'm totally clueless as to what I can give as a gift. Yes, there are the feel good deeds, giving to the Salvation Army, selecting a name or two from the Christmas Tree, serving a meal at the homeless shelter, but it just doesn't seem enough. 

This year, I want to be like the magi, relentless in my search for God. Giving everything I have to find Jesus and bringing the best of what I have as a gift. I have 22 more days to figure out what that is. I have a star to follow and a gift to give. And while I celebrate Christmas, I don't want lose sight of that.

Fa la la la la

One of the local radio stations plays non-stop Christmas music a week before Thanksgiving all the way up to Christmas day. You'll never hear any complaint from me. I love Christmas music, especially of the Christian nature.

O Holy Night

Silent Night

Away in the Manger

Mary Did You Know

What Child is This

I am a bit picky about my Christmas music. I love the old classics sung by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat Cole, Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby. I also love the renditions by the current Christian bands, such as Third Day, Mercy Me and Casting Crowns. Both Trisha Yearwood and Kathy Mattea have Christmas albums that I listen to over and over again. I also love carols, such as Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

I love driving around with Christmas music playing on the radio. Last year Christmas Eve, the day was perfect for the top to be down. I had Christmas music blaring on the radio as the air whipped around me. It was as close to a one-horse open sleigh as I had ever come. I could have driven all day just soaking up the feeling.

As the season begins, I feel like I can't get enough of Christmas music and as the days grow closer to Christmas, it's hard to imagine that it will all come to an end. It makes me sad when the music stops on Christmas night so I continue to play Christmas music on my iPod until the New Year. And somehow by then I'm ready to let go until next year.

On this first day of December, it made me happy to drive to Palm Desert to visit the kids, Christmas music playing on the radio. Over three hours there and back, singing along to Christmas music. It was a perfect start to the month. I'm hoping and praying that the next 24 days are equally as festive.

Trimming the Tree

Growing up, a real tree was a must. The year we moved to Puerto Rico, my parents bought one of those silver tinsel trees which was better than nothing, but was no substitute for the real thing. It was straight out a Charlie Brown Christmas. Not the tree that Charlie Brown picked out, but one of those gaudy ones that the rest of the gang wanted him to get. 

In our house, my mom or dad would turn on the Christmas tree lights in the morning. It was so wonderful walking into the living room, half asleep, the lights twinkling in the early morning. It made getting up for school those last few weeks before Christmas vacation very easy to do. I would hurriedly get dressed and eat breakfast so I could spend some time, draping tinsel carefully over the green branches. Such wonderful memories. They always come back to me at the start of the Christmas season. 

I hope we always can get a real tree because the fragrance of the pine makes it so special.  I love how it fills the hallway as I make way downstairs. Even now I still turn on the lights in the morning. The lights in the morning are almost more magical to me than the lights at night. 

For many years, we would buy a tree that was still bound with twine because it was easier to get home and into the tree stand. There was that moment when we would unwind the twine, not sure if the tree would be lopsided or barren on one side. Somehow we always got lucky.

This year, we got the tree a little earlier than normal. We usually get it the first weekend of December, but one of Brie's friend's dad offered to help us get the tree. I could have cried. Brie and Sierra spent quickly got the lights up and Brie spent some time today adding bulbs and ornaments. 

I wasn't really sure how I was going to get the house decorated and somehow it's coming together. 

It's going to be a good Christmas.

Finding Joy

I love the Christmas season. I love almost everything about it...

The colors whether they be red and white, blue and silver, gold and green,

The lights, inside the house and outside,

Decorating,

The fragrance of the tree, fireplaces, apple cider and baked goods fresh out of the oven,

Baking cookies, a different kind every week,

Giving of gifts,

The excitement in the air

Christmas carols,

Christmas eve service,

The birth of a Savior.

I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to enjoy it this year. But thanks to Brie and her friends, the house is almost all decorated and the tree is up. I'm finding joy that I didn't expect.