Ever since I was a small child, Christmas Eve has been one of my favorite days of the year – if not my favorite. It is difficult to capture in adulthood the magical feeling I experienced in those days. On Christmas Eve morning, I could hardly contain my excitement. Tonight, is the family Christmas party! As my mom prepared food and juggled the 100 items on her to-do list, all I could think about was hanging out with cousins, eating yummy foods and desserts, and, of course, ripping into those presents! The day would drag on and I would nag Mom and Dad about when we were leaving. Finally, we … [Read more...]

If ever there was a time I would love to revisit, it is childhood at Christmastime – back when Christmas was magical and simple. The frantic cooking and last-minute shopping were all lost on me as I could not think of one reason not to love everything about my favorite holiday: the lights, the decorations, the presents under the tree, the family time... it was the most wonderful time of the year. Somewhere along the way, I grew up and started worrying about typical adult Christmas worries. Are the gifts I bought good enough? Is the food I brought to the party tasty enough? Is everyone … [Read more...]

I want to begin this post with a disclaimer. I have wonderful in-laws! They are sweet, generous people who love God, each other, and enjoy loving on others. So, when I felt the need to touch on this topic, I wanted to make sure our readers know it is in no way in a poor reflection of them. ~smile~ When they leave us or we leave them, I feel pangs of sadness and wish we were not 3,000 miles away from each other. Sadly, many others cannot say this of their in-law experience. Too many times, holidays end in tears, confrontation, or discouragement. Sometimes problems between in-laws are due to … [Read more...]