Can it really be the 14th of December? Already?! Yikes!
I had planned to touch base here every day this month with
the 25 days of our Christmas joy, sharing the new way each day
that we had found to rejoice in our blessings, celebrate the birth of baby Jesus, and make sure we remember to give back and serve others. I think we got so into the serving and celebrating , we just ran out of time to do the sharing!
So, here goes a list of the last two weeks, one day at a time...
Day 1 Share fun pics and hopefully induce spontaneous laughter from our Photo Booth pix!
Day 2 Daddy comes home from his long trip! We stayed up till 1 am listening to his fun adventures in Germany and Spain!
Day 3 Drive through neighborhood and look at all the pretty
homes decorated with Christmas lights.
Day 4 Kids perform in Mayhem in Bethlehem. It was the upper grades and they were great! Lauren was a lovely singing and dancing angel, and Niko had a part as a lead, Billy Joe Debonair, who comes up with an amazing hair replacement formula.."It'll make your hair look like a Chiapet on steroids!" He and Ryan (Bobby Joe Debonair) were so funny!
Day 5 Mom spent 2 hours adressing Christmas cards to share with friends and family (I love this tradition!) The picture up top is from our card--I love this pix but every time I look at it I remember I was 5 minutes from vomiting when he shot this. I had the flu so bad!
Day 6 Niko and his buddies, Brenden and Nate, do their part by shooting 1000 basketballs
hoops each (!) to raise money for an charity that will benefit those with Aids in Africa, It is called, "Hoops for Hope". It took them six hours and a lot of energy but they never
complained once. They were doing a noble act and each were genuinely pleased to be there.
Niko's hands were dirty and his shoulders ached but he wants to do it again next year! I was so proud of our young men!
Day 7 Put up the Christmas tree (usually this goes up on Thanksgiving weekend but, it is tradition to do this as a family so we waited until Daddy returned from his trip). :>
Day 8 Lauren and I bake banana breads and brownies and deliver them to neighbors and friends.
Day 9 Hang the Wonderful Christmas cards we have received so far!
Day 10 Go Christmas shopping...
Day 11 Niko is awarded the Christian character trait of Ambition- for always striving to do his best for God's Glory. Lauren is awarded Courtesy for always being polite and respectful to everyone at all times. Daddy and I were beaming!
Day 12 Take unwrapped gifts to Toys for Tots
Day 13 Serve others by joining our good friends, the Changs, and Lighthouse Ministries
in Santa Ana to help in the creating a joyous Christmas party for families in need. What
a great feeling it was to pitch in and help make something like this possible! Thank you Diana for inviting us to share in the giving. It was a blessing.
Later that day, we caught the end of the live Nativity sponsored by our school and shared some hot cocoa with the Thompsons, Weirs, and Gibsons. What a treat! It was great seeing the junior highers performing this beautiful scene. Also, it was chilly and it really felt like a festive thing to do!
Day 14 Mindy and I built 22 gingerbread cottages for the 4th grade Christmas party this week at school. The smell of frosting and gingerbread is still in my kitchen-- I couldn't have done it without you Mindy. Thank you!
Two weeks. Two very busy weeks, all the while remembering to smile, love and give back.
I can't think of a better way to celebrate Jesus than to emulate all that He stands for, can you?
Ten more lovely days ahead...
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