And, today, our full enjoyment of Christmas with all of our ten... So all twelve of us under one roof, loving this special day together. A special blessing on top of so many others:
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| Waiting on the stairs to go in to the tree |
I want to clarify that Christmas is not about getting gifts for us. We begin with prayer, recognizing and appreciating the birth of our Savior, and that all we have comes from God.
The kids get one "Santa gift" and one gift from Mom and Dad. They love to get gifts for each other, and it's about knowing each other well enough to know what the recipients will love, even if it's from Goodwill. And they do a great job!
It's such a great moment - a feeling of accomplishment and success - for the gift giver when the gift getter is excited and completely pleased with his or her surprise. My only photos of those moments are, unfortunately, too dark and grainy to share. --Yes, they're worse than some of those I'm already showing here!
It gets messy!
And the best gift of all for Mom and Dad... Hearing the laughter as all 10 sat around the table, playing a game together, and having a grand time!
I hoped I had captured all 10 in one shot, but never seemed to manage it.
I hope you're having a fantastic and blessed day with your loved ones.
Merry Christmas!
