Oh Christmas...

It's Christmas time!!! 

Some of you are probably like... no, it's not. It's just December 2nd.  Well... it's been Christmas time for me since about... oh... November 1st!! I love this time of year! It's just wonderful. It's joyous and it just makes my heart happy.  If I'm listening to Christmas music, I don't care that I'm at work or that it's cold and my checks are freezing off or that my hair didn't do what I wanted it to do or that my belly is hungry... I'm just jolly because it's Christmas!! I can't explain it.  It's just the facts. 

This year especially, our house is filled with Christmas joy. Jacob and I have both fought for and with JOY all year!! We will celebrate!! We will decorate with JOY. We will give with JOY. We will pay bills with JOY. We will remember and treasure our Savior's birth with JOY!

Please note the Christmas plates on the shelves and the JOY decorations - these were Jacob's decorating ideas. He's my regular little Martin Stewart! :) 

This is our Christmas tree

It's actually pretty and funny. Jacob was SO upset.  We were decorating and listening to Christmas music because that equals PERFECTION.  Suddenly, Jacob cries out, "ANNA, COME HERE!" So I run in the living room thinking is horribly wrong.  His face is so distraught and troubled. He has the pieces of our fake Christmas tree in his hands. He looks up at me and says, so sadly, "our Christmas tree is... black." I doubt him, but with a closer look it most certainly is black.  We had this same tree last year, but we suspect that the green carpet in the trailer made the Christmas tree look more green.  We even looked on the box.  Sure enough, it's called "Colorado Black Pine Tree." HA! Who knew?  Jacob is upset about this blunder.  But, with lights on it and the light not on... it looks like a normal guy! Jacob said he wouldn't tell anyone that our tree is gothic, but EVERY person that has come to our house... he has told. Ha! 

I like our tree. It has our special ornaments from our wedding with notes from our closet friends and family on it. It has ornaments we've been given as a couple. And, of course, my favorite Disney character ornaments - those cannot be left out!!! :) 

In this Advent time of waiting and preparing and cherishing the most amazing story of humility - the birth of our Savior - I will choose to WAIT with patience and joy.  I am waiting on many things in my life right now... and I'm learning to do so with patience, with hope, with joy, with passion, with PRAYER! As the world waited so long for a Savior so many years ago, remember and CHERISH Him this holiday season. TALK ABOUT HIM. Worship Him. Seek Him. Rejoice in Him. 

I'll leave you with my favorite Christmas video of ALL times!!! :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TIME!!!