No…no that mood.  I typically take awhile to get into the mood for Christmas…into the Christmas spirit. I blame the retailers since they keep pushing the date back further and further (soon they will start before Halloween). And Christmas always seems to get here too fast…it sneaks up on me and I’m not ready.

But this year is different! I am turning over a new leaf. We put our tree up on the last day of November and I am already in full Christmas music mode. No bah-humbug for me this year. I am in the mood already. And I am ready for all of it: the lights, the carols, the food, the family, the parties, the gifts…and of course, the real reason for the season…celebrating the best gift of all!!

So here ya go…

Monday night at the dinner table (yes, sometimes we eat together as a family…weird huh?) we opened up our “Window Box” and one of the questions was: “What is your favorite things about Christmas?” We went around the table and got answers like: “Spending time with family” and of course, “Presents!!”

When this last answer came up I asked the child who gave this answer (who shall remain anonymous) if s/he would still like Christmas as much if we didn’t have presents. The answer? “NO!”

The follow-up: “What would your favorite holiday be then?” Answer: “Halloween” (thankfully this is because of the candy…nothing else).

It seems we still have some work to do in our household. The modern culture of Christmas has managed to wiggle its way into our home despite our efforts otherwise. We really do focus on the true meaning and reason for Christmas…but we obviously must do better.

And I need to do better myself. Just this morning I read this passage of Scripture that God asked me to consider for my own spiritual life:

You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person
will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God.
For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Ephesians 5:5, NLT

Not much wiggle room there. Greed = Idolatry. Period. DO I worship the things of this world (i.e.: that fancy new gadget, the big screen TV) or do I worship ONLY God?

Like I said…more work to do here…

 We got a little jump on the Christmas decorations this year. This is the first time I can remember having the tree up before December rolled around (yes, I know we beat the clock by less than one day). This is one of those traditions I love (although sometimes it doesn’t feel that way in the middle of it). Here are some pics from the festive event…

 
Kyle Hangs His First Ornament (for the year)

 
Logan Hanging His First Ornament

 
Lindsay’s Turn

 
Sensing a Theme Here?

 
Lindsay’s Turn to Add the Angel Topper

 
Kyle, Lindsay, Logan
Good they look like their mom huh?

 
The Baumgartners 2008

 
Our Natural Pose

I still can’t believe Christmas is just around the corner.
Feliz Navidad!

I don’t know what the deal is with Christmas presents this year, but we have had a rush of returns and exchanges this year. I can’t remember EVER having to return so many gifts…and not because we don’t like them, but because they don’t work for one reason or another.

We have counted a total of 9 gifts this year that we have to exchange. And the range from Anita’s Espresso Machine to Kyle’s Furberry. Just kind of weird…hopefully it’s out of “our system” now and there will be no more returns for the rest of our lives!  I wish!  =o)

We had a white Christmas this year, but that didn’t stop anyone from making it Christmas morning. We had a full house and full stomachs once the Prime Rib finished cooking (no idea why, but it took longer than it did for Thanksgiving). We had Anita’s family over after opening presents with the kids and my mom in the morning. Here are a few pics from the day…

 
I think Kyle liked this one

Logan loves it, even though he knew what it was.

Lindsay already has her new iPod loaded with new music.

Rebekah

Rachel (I love this pic)

Anita’s parents (Ron & Polly)

Anita’s Grandfather

Anita’s Sister, Lisa and her Fiance Mark

Next Christmas will be here before you know it!
Click here to view the entire Christmas 2007 Photo Album

You’ve no doubt heard the phrase, “The devil’s in the details”? I’ve used it myself on occasion.

This morning I had a little bit of peace and quiet before everyone else in the house got up (we had a late night). I spent that time reading some Scripture and spending some time with God. It is Christmas Eve and I was thinking about how commercialized and materialistic I and my kids can get this time of year. I love presents…there, I said it. I love getting them and I love giving them. And I was reminded by the Spirit that He gave us the best present of all…Himself, in the form of a little baby boy.

So what does this have to do with details? Psalm 37:23…

 The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD.
He delights in every detail of their lives.

Did you hear that last line? I did this morning and it hit me like a ton of bricks (OK, maybe one brick but who’s counting?). God cares about every detail of our lives. Not only does He care about them…he delights in the detail of our lives!  God is truly enthralled by you and me. Why? I have no idea, but He does.

So, you could really say that “God is in the details”…the details of our lives. That’s something to celebrate…and might just be the reason He came in the first place? Something to think about…

Merry Christmas

If you’ve been listening to any of the media regarding the Republican Presidential Race you’ve probably heard the “uproar” about Mike Huckabee’s Christmas Ad. Here’s the 30 second ad:

Not really sure what all the commotion is about, but the ad has gotten plenty of extra running time thanks to it. Here is Huckabee’s response to the reaction the ad has gotten…be sure you listen to the last minute of the video, he makes a great point:

Merry Christmas!

One of my favorite Christmas Carols is the song Little Drummer Boy. I like the story behind the song…a young boy who doesn’t have a present to give to baby Jesus so he does the only thing he knows to do, he plays his drum for the baby King (with Mary’s approval). And Jesus hears the boy’s efforts and responds with His approval. Here are the lyrics of the song (I took out all of the “Pa rum pum pum pum” lines):

Come they told me,
A new born King to see,
Our finest gifts we bring.

Little Baby,
I am a poor boy too,
I have no gift to bring,
That’s fit to give the King.

Then he smiled at me
Mary Nodded,
The ox and lamb kept time,
I played my drum for Him,
I play my best for Him,
Me and my drum

I’m always interested in the history of songs. The song “Little Drummer Boy” is believed to have been written by Katherine K. Davis in 1941 based on an old Czech carol. It has also gone by the name “Carol of the Drums”. For what it’s worth, my favorite version of the song (so far) is done by The Blind Boys of Alabama.