It’s hard to believe that Christmas is only two days away. We have had major house projects over the past three weeks, so we didn’t get to decorate like we really wanted to this year. We were doing good just to get our house put back together. Our friend, James, with Top Notch Siding has been a HUGE lifesaver in helping us complete our projects. He finished our basement bathroom and TV room, managed the installation of new carpet throughout our entire house (we had to move out of and back into our house all in one day), painted our upstairs bathrooms, tiled our front entryway, and helped us with some other maintenance type issues that needed some attention. If you ever need work done at your house, whether its a new back deck or finishing a basement, they do it all! I highly recommend them!

Anyways, back to Christmas… we went two weeks ago to a local dairy to pick out our Frasier Fir tree for the living room. Bethany and Justin went with us, and we all made a fun night of it by going to their hayride/bonfire afterwards. This week, Sean and I pulled our tree inside and got it decorated. I took a day to wrap presents, which is one of my favorite things to do during the holidays! I had to keep the dogs at a distance though. Tucker really seemed to like the shiny bows and paper. He even ate one of Jeff and Meg’s Christmas presents at their house. Well, he ate the PAPER and somehow missed the nice silk shirt, thank goodness!

This morning, we enjoyed being at church with our friends and celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. After all, if Jesus never came to earth as a babe, then we wouldn’t have the cross or the empty tomb, which means we wouldn’t have the gift of spending eternity with Him. It’s all because of Jesus and His sacrifice that we can have a personal relationship with God, if we choose to accept Him. What a gift God gave us at Christmas!

In the hustle and bustle of the holidays this year, Sean and I pray that you know and accept the true meaning of Christmas. We also pray that as we drive from here to there and entertain those in our home this holiday season, that we do not lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. It’s not about the gifts, the decorations, the food, and all the other “stuff” that comes along with celebrating Christmas - it’s about Jesus’ birth! It’s about our choice to accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior! And it’s about sharing that gift with our friends and family who may not know Him!

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!