Merry Christmas

10:00 pm on Christmas Eve...Christmas eve service - check, dinner with family - check, new Christmas pj's on - check, cookies for Santa left - check, stockings stuffed - check, presents wrapped - check, parents exhausted - check....

This Christmas seems busier than ever.  I think it's sad to say, but maybe not, that until this year (our 5th Christmas together), we haven't really established any family traditions around different holidays.  Maybe it was because Joseph was so young it didn't really matter, or maybe it was because we didn't know what to start, regardless, we found ourselves this year scratching our heads trying to decide what we wanted to do each year as traditions.  It was actually kind of fun.  It brought back lots of memories from my childhood.  So here's what we came up with...
 - Open a gift on Christmas Eve (will always be pj's or something of the sort)
 - Make a White (to symbolize Jesus' pureness at birth) Birthday cake for Jesus and sing happy birthday
 - Leave cookies and milk for Santa

Yes, this is Joseph's first time to talk to Santa and tell him what he wants.  It's his first time to leave cookies for Santa (gasp!!!).  It's his first time really picking out gifts for mommy and daddy.  It's Joseph first Christmas to do lots of 'Christmasy' things around town.  It's a landmark Christmas.  I think that it wasn't until this age that Joseph really got things like this.  Last year we didn't play up anything big.  I don't think he really knew that he could go somewhere (mall, bass pro) and talk to Santa.  We didn't make a big deal about it and last year, his school didn't really either.

Happy Birthday Jesus and Merry Christmas.  May your time with family and friends be filled with Joy!