CHRISTMAS BLOG CARNIVAL: Day 7

Today's challenge was to talk about refreshing our faith at Christmas.


How does your faith refresh at Christmastime?

 Confession time:  I am not a shopper.  I *hate* shopping - with a passion.  Which has not been too much of a problem pretty much since we got married, because we've never really had a lot of money with which to shop.  These two facts have made our Christmases minimal over the whole of our marriage.

That said...I LOVE Christmas.  I love the excitement building...the pretty lights...the yummy desserts...the get-togethers.  But mostly, I LOVE the music, the plays, the retelling of the story every year.  I am refreshed every year by the freshness of the story - the wonder of the new baby and the amazement of what He came to do for us.  Each year, hearing yet again the story reminds me of the amazing love my Father has for me...and for those who don't yet know Him.

Go enjoy more bloggy Christmas carnival fun with us at Wives of Faith. 

CHRISTMAS BLOG CARNIVAL: Day 6

Today's challenge was to post about what might be different about Christmas in a military home. 

You Might be a Military Spouse at Christmas if...


...you can't find anything similar about any of your Christmases since taking on the military lifestyle.  Every year is different with no continuity from one year to the next. 

My husband has been active-duty for 10 years now, and we have lived in 7 different homes in 4 different states during that time.

*This year is the first time he's been deployed over Christmas.

*Last year (2009) was the first year we ever did lights outside.

*The year before (2007)was our first year in Virginia...and we knew almost no-one.

*The year before that (2006) was the year our marriage was restored (BIG God-story!), and our last year in Montana.

*In 2005 we had no new babies...every year prior we had a baby under 2 years old at Christmas.

*In 2004, we got a cat for Christmas.

*In 2003, we had just moved, had a new baby (on the 13th of December), and knew almost no-one.

*2002 was our last year in Texas, and we had just experienced our first deployment...with all of the accompanying gremlins.

*2001 was Jason's first year on active-duty, and our first Christmas away from family.  It was also our first year to deep fry the turkey.  YUM. 

Then again...maybe there is something consistent about our Christmases...the fact that they are never the same!!

Go enjoy more bloggy Christmas carnival fun with us at Wives of Faith. 

CHRISTMAS BLOG CARNIVAL: Day 5

What Christmas Means to Me
 
The challenge for today was to tell what Christmas means to me.  

Christmas is one of my two favorite times of the year (the first being Thanksgiving).  Christmas has always been about family to me.

Growing up, we used to always travel for Christmas to the mountains of North Carolina, where my grandparents lived, and spend time with the whole extended family there.

This together-time meant presents, yes, but more than that, it meant big meals around the extended table, playing with cousins, doing puzzles with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and our immediate family.

It always means long phone calls with the family that can't make it to the gathering, and walks in the cold with the ones who needed a chance to digest before the next round of dessert.  

But my favorite part of all has always been the time when we sit down together as a family and listen as the Christmas story is read aloud, as a reminder that there is a greater reason for our celebration than just the presents or family time...that we have been given a gift, one that affects our whole lives, and THAT is what we celebrate at Christmas time.

Go enjoy more bloggy Christmas carnival fun with us at Wives of Faith.

CHRISTMAS BLOG CARNIVAL: Day 4

My Grown-Up Christmas List

Based on the song by Amy Grant, the challenge was to come up with my own grown-up Christmas list.  

1.  Our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen would all come home, safely, in time for Christmas.
2.  Healing for all broken people.
3.  No more pain inflicted on children.
4.  Jobs and homes for my friends who have lost both.
5.  Forever-homes and families for all of the orphans in this world.

Go enjoy more bloggy Christmas carnival fun with us at Wives of Faith. 

CHRISTMAS BLOG CARNIVAL: Day 3

Worst Christmas Song EVER...



Why?  Can you think of anything less Christmas-like that the lyrics that say "What a gas it would have been, if Daddy had only seen Mommy kissing Santa Claus last night"?  

Okay, so I know this won't bother everyone.  Maybe it is just my sensitivity to potential family-breaking issues.  I think this is TERRIBLE.  I know what it is *supposed* to be.  What kind of image does this portray to our children? 

And the assignment says to find one redeeming factor about this song.  It is a very catchy tune.  It is fun.  And it portrays an innocence in children that is hard to find these days.

Go enjoy more bloggy Christmas carnival fun with us at Wives of Faith.

CHRISTMAS BLOG CARNIVAL: Day 2

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without...

...Christmas plays, cantatas, and caroling. 

God currently has us in a church where the focus is a bit different that the churches we have been a part of in the past...which means no Christmas plays, no cantatas, and no caroling.  And I have discovered that I am very sad about that.  So this year, while my husband is away, we are going to go experience some of the joy of Christmas with other churches. 

CHRISTMAS BLOG CARNIVAL: Day 1

My Favorite Christmas Ornament/Decoration

At the top of our tree (circa 2009) you can see my favorite Christmas decoration...a tree topper I won off of another blog carnival in 2008. 

 

I  LOVE this tree topper!