after

This Christmas season, I've been having a bit of trouble tapping into the Christmas spirit. Most years, this is not an issue for me. In fact, my husband may argue that I have a bit too much some years. Today, however, as I watched Joost and Grace and their great joy and excitement in pulling out Christmas ornaments, the Christmas spirit began to grow. It is sweet to see my children love this holiday so much.


Soon, we had Linda Ronstadt's A Merry Little Christmas playing and Jeff was topping the tree with the star.


The kids enjoyed hearing some of the memories attached to the ornaments.


They each have a box of their own ornaments that have been given to them over their lives, and they were quick to tear through the boxes and hang each and every one.


As I looked at the ornaments and remembered such sweet memories connected to them, it also reminded me of the kind and generous God who has blessed our lives so much with family, health, joy, and most of all the gift of Christ. Without Him, the joy and love and hope for eternity found in Christmas, would not be there at all. Without Him, there would be nothing to celebrate.

before

Today, the Friday after Thanksgiving, we went hunting for our Christmas tree. It was Kate's first time bundling up and trekking around a Christmas tree farm to find the perfect tree. (Technically, she didn't do any trekking--only riding on Jeff's back--but you feel my imagery, right?)

We had to find just the right tree. We have tall ceilings, but the corner we place the tree in our living room is close to a heating radiator. The branches can't be too close to it. So, the search for a tall narrow tree was quite a quest.

After considering several, we decided on one and Jeff got to work.


Kate watched. I always wonder what goes through babies' minds when they experience new things. As Kate looked on with interest, what exactly was she interested in?

We were happy with the tree and carried it back to the farm owner's garage to have it measured and to pay for it.

The Holiday Parade 2009

We've made it a tradition to attend Harrisburg's holiday parade since we've moved here. But, after last year's very bitter weather (that resulted in an early departure), we were a bit gun shy (despite the good weather reports) and bundled ourselves as if we were headed for a hike in the Arctic. 3 or 4 layers later, we were headed to the van, ready to leave for the parade. Already, I was regretting my decision to wear leggings under my jeans, so, as I went to lock up the house, I removed the first of many layers. By the time we found a spot to settle to watch the parade, the rest of the family was ready to shed some layers--but at least we weren't cold!

Shortly, the rest of the Bosworth crew joined us. (Happily, Andrew, Rachel and Liam were with us this year!) They all seemed to be a bit wiser in their winter wear decisions. There were no large piles of winter garb stacked in the bottom of their stroller by the end of the parade.

We had a nice time enjoying each others company, all the parade had to offer and even a few pieces of candy tossed the kids way. (The current economic strain must hit even city parades, because the kids came away with a lot less sugar than years before.)

We're ready to start another holiday season!