Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

Today has been a BUSY day! This is the second year that Ryan and I have hosted a Christmas Eve party at our house. Last year we did a cookie exchange where everyone brought Christmas cookies or another dessert and we sat around stuffing our faces, drinking coffee or Ryan's apple cider. This year we decided to do finger foods instead of just sweets.

I spent most of the day yesterday trying to get my house clean. Not only for the party but because my parents are coming in Christmas day and my house has to pass my mother's inspection! Not really but I make sure it's extra clean for her! :) Abigail tends to create more messes for me to clean up so the work doubles as the day goes! Today I spent most of the day baking, cooking, decorating, and cleaning. I made fudge for the first time today and it turned out so yummy! I was pretty proud of myself. I also made Oatmeal Jumbo cookies. They are a family favorite. I came across a recipe for them last year and gave them a try. They quickly became my favorite cookie! I also made hamburger dip. Ryan's mom and Mimi and sister-in-law Mellissa also brought some goodies. We had a great time eating all the goodies and engaging in conversation. Ryan's cousins Josh and his wife Leah and baby Jansen came. As well as his Aunt Susie and cousin Trey. Aunt Selma, Amanda, and her girls, Samantha and Sabrina stopped by too. (Pictures to come. My computer is being slow about uploading them tonight.)

Mellissa and Jon stayed for a bit after everyone had left and Mellissa helped me clean up! I am so blessed to have two great sisters-in-law. After they left, I put Abigail to bed, read her a Bible story and a Christmas story. It was late so she went right to sleep. It's nice to be able to put my feet up after a long day. I need to put out her presents from Santa before I go to sleep. She doesn't really understand the concept of Santa yet but she definitely knows what presents are! She's been asking me every day this week when we were going to open presents!

My Facebook/Twitter status from earlier in the day was a passage of Scripture from the book of Isaiah. I often think of this passage of Scripture during Christmastime because part of it was used in a song that the choir at my home church in Georgia sang when I was in high school. The lyrics go something like this, "we who were walking in darkness have seen a great light, a great light, a great light." Isaiah 9:2 states: " The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of darkness, a light has dawned." If Jesus had not left the splendor and glory of heaven and come to earth as a baby born in a cattle stall and placed in a lowly manger, we would still be walking in darkness! Thank you Jesus for being the Light of the world! Thank you for being born in the shadow of the cross! Thank you that we have more to celebrate at Christmas than Santa or Rudolph, or Frosty, or other commercial fixtures of Christmas. But we can celebrate the LIGHT!