Christmastime is here!

It's December! Christmas is coming! Most of the time I'm very excited about the season and look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus. Of course, watching Erica discover Christmas this year is very fun! She probably still won't remember this Christmas when she's older, but at fifteen months old, she is definitely engaging more in the festivities. This picture below is my favorite one taken when we were helping Erica and her parents put up their Christmas tree.



I'm also excited about a couple of favorite Christmas season events that I'm going to be a part of again this year. One is the Nashville Baptist Association Toy Store. In the past, I've volunteered as a "shopper's helper" and assisted a mom as she chose toys and gifts for her children, free of charge. This year, I've been able to coordinate the donations and volunteers from our church and am looking forward to being a "shopper's helper" again on Monday. This experience always puts things in a different perspective and I get as much a blessing out of helping the moms shop as I hope and pray that they get in receiving the gifts.

The other event that has become a tradition for me is singing in the choir for our church's Christmas Worship service. I enjoy being able to sing with the group and each year the numbers have grown (I think we have around 50 singers this year). It really helps put me in the Christmas spirit and helps me remember why we celebrate.

There are hard things about this season for me, too, especially on these "quiet" Christmases, when my parents and I will be together while Daniel and the Masseys are away for part of the time. When I start to get sad, though, I remember that I have a very full life and am blessed to have my family and friends and many other blessings in my life. I just need to continually keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. He's the One we celebrate and is our Emmanuel, God with us!