Christmas Part 1: 2008 Candles!

Every year, Ashley and I reflect on our Christmas festivities with bittersweetness. The sweetness come from the beautiful memories that were made from precious time spent with the ones we love. Spending time with family always leaves our hearts warm and full to the brim with joy. This Christmas, we were able to focus on just the four of us, and our cups are overflowing.
The bitterness in the reflection comes from the fact that Christmas has been reshapened by our culture. So, we struggle each year with how to keep the CHRIST in Christmas and not get "wrapped up" in the whole gift thing too much. This year was an experimental year because now the kids are old enough to pay attention to the Nativity story and learn something from it. We had a good time opening presents, but then celebrated Jesus' birthday for lunch. Have you ever tried putting 2008 candles on a cake (or in our case, Amish Bread)? Well, we just stuck with 10 candles to be on the safe side. The kids still had a hard time getting all the candles out, though.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!