It's November 12, and I'm Thankful For...

...our small group friends.
I LOVE these people! During the summer of 2006, our church did a summer outreach, and we all joined together in a small group. Our group was bigger, but for some reason, a small group of five families just stuck together. Since then, we have been doing life together.

It is amazing to see where God has taken each family in the time since our group began. For instance, Rachel and Nathan are now full-time missionaries in Jordan. We are currently enjoying every moment we have with them, as they are here visiting for a couple of months.
Also, when our group began, our families had a combined two kids. Now we have six and another on the way (YEA, Karen!).

Each person in this group is so special to Channing and me and to my boys. They are a source of friendship, encouragement, conviction, fun, family... I could go on and on. Each of us loves God and growing in our relationship with Him. We all love each other's children. This, btw, totally amazes me. I have never seen a group of men love on other people's kids like the guys in this group do. You have no idea how much Tristan loves them! I don't know...it's just a super great group of people.

I sure do love you guys!!! Oh, and if any of you has a picture of the guys, please share. I don't have one. :) THANKS!!

The Great Santa Debate

Today, as I was reading Foxnews.com, I came across this story: "'Why Believe in a God' Ad Campaign Launches on DC Buses". According to Fox News, "Ads proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday."

Ok, seriously. Don't these people have anything better to do? What is so strange is that these people have forgotten the whole meaning behind Christmas. For them, it has become a complete commercialization. It is totally about gifts. I mean, without CHRIST, there would be no CHRISTmas.

This brings me to the Great Santa Debate. I know this isn't specifically what the story is about, but it came to mind when I saw the story. You see, until Channing and I joined Church of the Highlands (greatest church ever!) and came into contact with some people who didn't do Santa, I had never thought twice about doing it. My mom did Santa with my brother and me when we were growing up, and I LOVED it. I absolutely loved the anticipation of Santa coming, leaving out cookies, seeing what he left the next morning, the whole shabang. It was awesome! And I totally planned on continuing the tradition.

I found out that my mom was Santa at a pretty early age, thanks to my brother. I mean, how could he let me continue on in bliss if he knew that Santa didn't truly exist? That just wouldn't be fair. Then, that was that. The mystery was solved. My mom was Santa. I don't remember it being a huge deal. However, I have a friend who said that she was "devastated" to find out that her parents had lied to her. For that reason, among many others that are even more important to her and her husband, her family does not do Santa. I totally respect that.

When I first learned that people didn't do Santa, people other than Jehovah's Witnesses, I was shocked. It was just such a foreign idea to me. Hearing their reasons, the following being the most common, gave me some things to consider:

• Christmas is about Jesus, not Santa. When you focus on Santa, it takes away from the true meaning of Christmas.
• You are lying to your children. When they find out that you've lied about Santa, they may assume you're lying about Jesus too.
• You are lying to your kids. Period.

I felt like a horrible person. Here I had been covering my house with Santa decorations (along with nativity scenes, snowmen, reindeer, everything Christmas). What was I going to do with all my Santa decorations? How was I going to handle not doing Santa? What would I tell people who asked what Santa was bringing Tristan? It was a huge stressor for me. I was so disappointed to leave such a fun tradition behind; however, I felt it was something I needed to do because I felt I would be judged by other Christians if I didn't. It was a super hard time for me.

The first year Channing and I did this, I think Tristan was 2 1/2 (he could have been younger. Time kind of runs together for me). People were asking him left and right what Santa was going to bring him for Christmas. The kid didn't even know who Santa was, and I had no idea how to handle it. I didn't want to make those people feel bad. Most times, Tristan would look at them with a puzzled face, and I would just list some things he was asking for. When I was with friends who were adamantly opposed to all things Santa, I never knew what to say. I didn't want to seem less-than, like I didn't love Jesus and focus on Him at Christmas. During those times, I would politely say, "We don't do Santa."

I was never comfortable. I was doing (not doing, actually) something because it was something others expected of me, rather than what I felt in my heart. I went through the same thing with Easter and Halloween. Finally one day, Channing and I had a heart to heart and shared our feelings with each other about how we felt about Christmas, Easter, and Halloween, our priorities, and how we wanted to handle the holidays.

Based on our discussion, we decided that we didn't want to cut Santa totally out of our Christmas. We had always made sure to make Jesus the center of our season, and just because we used Santa decorations and sang Santa songs, we were not, in any way, taking away from the reason for the season (we didn't feel we were anyway). We still don't totally do the whole Santa thing. We have explained to Tristan the story of Santa Claus. We take pictures with Santa and watch Santa movies. We watch nativity movies. We sing Santa songs. We sing Christmas hymns. We just don't tell him that Santa is bringing him a Batman car for Christmas. We don't make a huge deal about that part of Santa.

That is the decision we made for our family. We realize that every family handles Christmas differently, and we totally respect that, and we also appreciate when people respect what we have chosen. There are SO many ways that people handle it, and I hope that Tristan doesn't ruin it for anyone else. Today at work, Asher and Tristan were watching a Wiggles Christmas DVD, and a little boy said, "Santa's not real!" This upset Tristan, and I had to remind him about Santa. It hurt me, though. I know kids tongues can't be controlled, and that according to the Bible, "No one can tame the tongue", but I wish everyone mutually respected other family's decisions.

Philippians 2:4 says, "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." This is one of those areas for me. I have friends who gung-ho do the whole Santa thing. I would LOVE to do it too. I understand their reasoning and can justify it. For us, though, Channing and I have agreed not to completely commit. I want their kids to enjoy it, though. I don't want my boys ruining their fun tradition.

It's funny, though, in talking to people, how many people do Santa but don't tell anyone for fear of judgment. They don't want other people whispering about them behind their backs. The same goes with Halloween. I just laugh at the things I hear when people describe their Halloween nights to Christian friends:

"We just trick-or-treat a tiny bit."
"We don't do Halloween. The kids just dress up in costumes and visit the neighbors on my street."

I think it is so funny, yet so sad. So many of us, as Christians, mold so much of what we do, not based on what we've read in the Bible, but based on what our Christian friends are doing. We're constantly looking over our shoulders to make sure no one thinks bad of us. You know what? I am over it (in the nicest way possible) :). I am here to please One...Jehovah God. I am trying my best not to justify my actions to everyone anymore. I'm trying not to let others' opinions of me rule what I do. I want to live for God and to please Him. Tough lesson for me, but through my study on "The Bait of Satan", I am growing. I have LONG way to go, though!!!
A little disclaimer, The Bait of Satan in no way addresses The Great Santa Debate.

So this Christmas season, make sure you put JESUS FIRST, and the rest, go with your convictions. I mean, 90% of Christians call Resurrection Day, Easter, and the title "Easter" came from a pagan goddess. So, I mean, come on. Let's spend this season focusing on what is most important and not judging others and not worrying about what others think about our holiday traditions.

Ok, that's my piece. You got anything? What does your family do? Are you scared to share? As Christmas gets closer, I'll be sharing some of our family traditions. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!

It's November 11, and I'm Thankful For...

our veterans! (my second thankful post today)
I am so thankful for all the men and who have served and are currently serving our country. These men and women have selflessly given their lives to make sure that we can continue to enjoy freedom in our country. This is one of those areas I think can often be taken for granted. Today, I hope that each of us will reflect on what these men and women have done and are currently doing for us. Think of how much they sacrifice so that we can feel safe.

If you have served, are serving, or have a family member in the military, I THANK YOU for all your sacrifices. I appreciate you so much and am SO thankful for all you have given to our country, to my life, to the life of my boys. Without you, we wouldn't be able to enjoy the freedoms that we have.

HAPPY VETERANS DAY!!!

What or who are you thankful for today?

It's November 11, and I'm Thankful For...

the cough trick!
Well, that's what we call it in our house. Asher has had a cough on and off for a couple of weeks, and we've been giving him a spoonful of honey, which usually helps. Well this week, he has decided he will no longer take the honey. Grrrrrrrrrreat. So the night before last, as I was up with him at 2 a.m., I remembered the home remedy my sorority sister, Kelli, shared with me. How could I have forgotten about it??? Yesterday, before I left work for home, I headed down to Winn Dixie to get some Vicks Vapor Rub.

So here's the trick Kelli shared. You may already know about it, but I didn't. Word has it that if you put Vicks Vapor Rub on your feet at bedtime, and then wear socks over it, you won't cough during the night. I decided to try it with both boys last night. The result...Asher was cough-free for half the night! I know that doesn't sound like much, but compared to the night before last, it was FANTASTIC. At that point, I probably should have reapplied some, but I didn't. I just soothed him back to sleep.

Tristan's results were even better. He was cough-free until 7:00 this morning. SCORE!!! This is great for him because he refuses the honey. He will let me do rice krispie ears, and that usually helps, but this is something great to go along with it.

So, today I am thankful for the home remedy that Kelli shared. It made a HUGE difference for a sleep-deprived momma!!! THANKS, KELLI!!!

It's November 10, and I'm Thankful For...

my mom!

Today is her birthday, and I hope it's super great!!! Wish I could be there to celebrate. :(
Yeah, just realized that rhymes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!! Thank you for all the sacrifices you've made for me, and thank you for being the best Nana in the whole world. The boys and I love you very much!!! Looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks. :)

It's November 9, and I'm Thankful For...

Bama's win over the tigers last night!!!
WHAT A GAME!!! I was holding my breath until the very last second. It was definitely an exciting one. Bama went down to Death Valley and conquered the tigers. It wasn't the prettiest win, but it was a win nonetheless.

Is it just me, or does Saban look good in crimson??? :)

So today, I am thankful for our view from the top. ROLL TIDE!!!

I know I get a little excited about football, and that may be hard for you non-football lovers to understand (I'm still shocked that there are people out there that don't get excited about college football. What do you people do on Saturdays?) ;) I just love it. In a time of so much political drama, financial stress, and doomsdayers, college football is an great escape for me. I love watching an exciting game like yesterday's game against LSU. Bama didn't play very well, they were kind of flat, but it was exciting nonetheless. :):) And Georgia/Kentucky was a nail-biter too. WHAT A GREAT SATURDAY!!!

It's November 8, and I'm Thankful for...

SEC college football, specifically Crimson Tide football!!!

I LOVE Saturdays!!! ROLL TIDE!!!