Christmas

*sorry this turned out to be really long, but i would like to document my feelings for journal purposes.

Christmas has always been my favorite season! I love the music, and the specialty of the reason that we are actually celebrating. also, my birthday is on Christmas day. so that is always fun to get older.

My family has always gone Christmas caroling and I love it! for my birthday celebration in high school, my dad would take a couple of friends and i and we would just go caroling to people we knew. then my entire family (that could) would go on Christmas eve. I love it! i love singing and especially being able to harmonize with everyone. Christmas songs are my favorite. I could listen to them all year long. They just are so very special to me.

So i am very excited to be done with school for 2 weeks and to really be able to think about this special season. Our ward had a dinner on the 13th and i loved it because at the end, we all sang a couple of the songs and i was able to do parts on some of them and it just really got me excited and anticipating caroling. then, our ward choir (led by a very talented and wonderful woman) sang two precious songs. one i had sung years before (Alleluia) and knew the tricky alto part. but the oh come oh come Emmanuel, i had never heard and enjoyed learning it. one part in it, that repeats, says REJOICE and i just love that message. this really is a time to rejoice and celebrate. Christ was born in such a humble place and I am very grateful to be able to celebrate his life.

growing up, we never really thought about santa and that he existed. we drew names and did a secret santa for one of our siblings. some years, we had to make the gift and other years, we bought. but the gifts have never been a big deal. i love that! birthday presents and celebrating my birthday hasn't been too important for me. I enjoy feeling people's love and having them express that, but i don't feel the need to get lots of 'things'.

So now that i am married to a wonderful man, we are trying to combine our traditions and things that we do. I heard my friend, Marcie say, that santa would give one gift and then the rest were from parents and family. i like that. it still allows us to do santa a little, but not focusing on everything santa and more on Christ.