the start of a season.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

The season started off last night with some friends coming over for a Christmas dessert party.  

chocolate, candles, sparkling grape juice, and good friends.

{not a lot tops that}

I'm even extra-excited about Christmas this year, as Grant {almost 5} really, really gets it.

and since he does get it, on my heart these days is this:

{How do we really, truly live out the meaning of Christmas?}

How do we celebrate Christ's birth in such a way that it really makes our Christmas different?

Sure, we give toys to charities.

we'll bake a birthday cake for Jesus.

We'll talk about how Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem.

and then a King was born.

But, somehow, some of those activities just seem like an add-on.

you know what I mean?

We're Christians, and should be celebrating Christ, so we're going to bake a cake for Jesus.

all the while spending more than we should on toys our kids don't really need.

we'll give a few gifts to charities.

all the while getting way caught up in the commercialism off it all.

I do love Christmas. I love giving and getting gifts.

seriously.  I love the excitement and the shopping and the snow and the cold and the frenzy of it all.

{and I'm totally a Christmas-Eve shopper and love it}.

I just want to spend this whole holiday season actually honoring the baby in a manager,

all the while baking and eating and laughing and buying and unwrapping.

 so, it's still on my heart:

{How do we really, truly honor Christ this Christmas?}

I have a few ideas.

but, my coffee is getting cold.

and the kids are getting ready to play super-hero and leap off the coffee table with blankie-capes.

i'm off to catch them.