Loving the Christmas Season!

Oh, how I love Christmas.  There is a hint of sadness in our celebration this year, but it makes me even more thankful for what my Savior has done for me.  The Christmas story is a beautiful celebration of birth, hope, and love that we sometimes miss in the hustle and bustle of the season.

Right after Thanksgiving we decorated our apartment for Christmas.  Sometimes I wish it could be decorated for Christmas all year long until I get to do it all over again.  I love seeing the transformation, the twinkling lights, and all the colors and memories that come along with them.  Both of us have ornaments on our trees given to us when we were little and decorations scattered around that come with a sweet memory of our wonderful parents and Christmases before.  Last week and this weekend, Aaron and I transformed my classroom into a Christmas wonderland complete with tree and many decorations.  I love seeing the wonder on the kids' faces as they stare at the lights during rest time.  Beautiful.

When people used to ask me what my favorite holiday was, I would always say my birthday.  Since I have become an adult, I always say Christmas.  It's a beautiful time where we can celebrate the message of our faith so tangibly, spend time with those we love, and snuggle up under a warm blanket with a mug of hot chocolate.  Bliss!

My challenge for myself (and you if you'll join me) this Christmas season is to put Jesus first.  Find some way each day in the midst of your celebrating to spend time with the Savior, the Creator, the sweet baby in the manger.  I don't want to miss this by going through this beautiful time of year with an emptiness of celebrating all the fluff without Jesus.  What a tragedy that would be.

I hope you will be drawn deeper in your relationship with Jesus these next few weeks leading up to Christmas.  If you do not have a relationship with Jesus, I pray this will be the Christmas you will surrender to the God of the universe who became the baby in the manger in order to take away our sins.  That is the best Christmas gift we will ever receive. 

I would love if you would comment and share a Christmas tradition you enjoy each year with your family.  My favorite that Aaron & I have is every Christmas eve at midnight, we give each other an ornament for our tree.  I always look forward to giving and receiving a new treasure that will become linked to a sweet memory with my man.

SonGear - a website with great gifts and a great message!

While perusing the web this Christmas season for the best gifts for everyone on your list, take a quick visit to www.songear.com .

Their main message, Life with Jesus is better, is all over the place in the form of t-shirts, mugs, umbrellas, etc...  I love seeing companies that unashamedly share the Gospel with anyone who will happen onto their site.  Songear is not ashamed, and neither should we be.  They also have many other t-shirts and other products, focusing on walking with Jesus every day. 

My husband and I are planning to buy Merry Jesusmas! shirts to wear for Christmas.   What a great way to share with the world our love for the Lord and really make people think about the true meaning of Christmas.

As a small Christian company, they need all the orders possible this Christmas season in order to stay in business as time goes on.  As we see all over the place, small businesses have a hard time in this crazy economy.  Let's help them out!

Head over to www.songear.com for a few minutes today.  Be sure to come back and leave a comment here letting us know what your favorite product is. :)