This Christmas Eve we totally changed all of our traditions! We normally eat at home with all our special foods that we have eaten for years and then go to church together. While traditions are nice, with not all of the family able to be in town that evening, I thought we should do something different! Since my parents are so flexible, and hubby is so agreeable, my suggestion is what we went for and I do think it just might become an annual tradition........but we will have to wait and see next year.We attended the Children's Christmas Eve service at my daughter's preschool. Since we went to another family service for Advent, and we really enjoyed that one we thought we would try it. We loved it. The children's choir sang, we sang all of my favorite Christmas carols, the story of baby Jesus was told through actors and the entire focus of the service was on the birth of baby Jesus and NOTHING else! Santa wasn't there nor any other mention of anything commercial about this season which is so refreshing when you are working so hard to teach your kids why we really celebrate Christmas to not have to deal with any of that at church since we are bombarded with it everywhere else. Don't get me wrong we love all the season brings but at church we want to focus just on Jesus.
It was very worshipful service and I left feeling so at ease and thankful for the time of reflecting on that night Christ was born, and thankful for the time we had to worship him together as a family. I love to worship together as a family!
Amanda and I have really enjoyed their large nativity in their lobby throughout the Christmas season during Chapels and the services we have attended there together. They do not put baby Jesus out until Christmas which I found interesting and thought about trying it but I think Amelia would have had a fit if I took baby Jesus away!
After church we went out to eat at one of favorite places to go as a family.
A kind stranger came up and gave this stuffed frog or alligator to Amelia. They walked away and said, "You don't recognize us do you?" No we still don't so the bomb sniffing uncle made sure there were no security risks and checked it out to make sure it was OK to keep. It was brand new with tags on it. I am thinking someone just wanted to be nice........?
Mammaw is a brilliant children's entertainer when waiting for our food to come. When she with us I rarely have to tell Amanda to behave because mammaw keeps her too busy for her to misbehave!
A kind stranger came up and gave this stuffed frog or alligator to Amelia. They walked away and said, "You don't recognize us do you?" No we still don't so the bomb sniffing uncle made sure there were no security risks and checked it out to make sure it was OK to keep. It was brand new with tags on it. I am thinking someone just wanted to be nice........?
Amelia didn't know what to think since some of the family thought it was an alligator and others a frog. I will tell ya, IT IS A FROG!
Mammaw is a brilliant children's entertainer when waiting for our food to come. When she with us I rarely have to tell Amanda to behave because mammaw keeps her too busy for her to misbehave!
