Scott and I started the Christmas season early...and by early, I mean before Thanksgiving. Yes, we were some of "those people" this year. You know, the ones that don't let one holiday pass before focusing on the next. Well, Scott had to work all weekend and we wanted to trim the tree together, so the night before Thanksgiving just happened to be the perfect time. With a pizza, bottle of wine, and Christmas tunes in the background, we laughed while hanging the ornaments...the hand-blown glass pickle- a Smith family tradition, the cop holding coffee and a donut, the fat Santa, and my favorite- the super cute penguins from Hallmark that were on sale last year. One of them had the name "Scooter" so of course I had to buy it. When I first met Scott, he was introduced to me as Scooter- a nickname from back home that stuck with him for a long time.
We headed to Gloucester for Thanksgiving. A trip to the Bartons must include several rounds of dominoes, lots of laughs, and good eatin'! The next day while Scott headed to work, I headed to the big city to see my family. Although my mom doesn't live in the house we grew up in any more, her home is just as, if not more, cozy, warm, inviting, and comfortable. It was nice to just R-E-L-A-X and enjoy some downtime. And by the way, my mom makes THE best deviled eggs. My sis was home from college so we had a good time hanging out and being silly. She doesn't believe me when I tell her that I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning when I was in college because these days, bedtime is 9 p.m. and I was struggling to make it to 11 p.m. watching movies.
Thanksgiving is a good time to pause and reflect on everything we have to be thankful for and to put things into perspective. I am so thankful to God for salvation through Jesus and for His love towards us. He has richly blessed our lives and given us joy, peace, and beauty for ashes. I am thankful for the love from a husband with forever eyes who makes me laugh every day and always has the right words to say. I am grateful for family and friends who love us and pray for us and help us and make the road more fun to travel. I am thankful for jobs and a home and our troops and a car and food and sight and the list goes on and on...
Thinking about all the things we are thankful for is a perfect gateway into the Christmas season which is now officially upon us! With all the things God has blessed us with, we want to be a blessing to others...give up our wants for people who really have needs. We will be giving up a portion of what we would normally spend for Christmas and in turn, bless villages in Africa with clean drinking water. The movement is called Advent Conspiracy and it is something our church is particpating in. Check it out! It is our challenge to bring Christmas back to its true meaning.
With that being said, this time is definitely one of the most wonderful times of the year!! I love Christmas!!
Now it's back to school for three more weeks and then, *teachers of the world rejoice,* a two-week break!! :)
