Best Christmas Ever...

We just had the best Christmas ever.  I think i mentioned in a previous post that i'm not usually big on Christmas, but we made a concerted effort this year to really focus on trying to reinvigorate it with some fresh meaning.  Here's what we did:

* We attended GCC's Christmas Eve service together.  The kids totally dug the candle-lighting.  Elijah especially is a budding pyromaniac, so thought that 2,100 people burning things was a GREAT way to celebrate.

* We ate out!  Yup.  Part of our new tradition will 

be to NOT create additional stress by adding another meal that we have to prep and fix at home.  This year's Eve selection:  5 Guys.  Not exactly "Chop Suey Palace" from Christmas Story, but it got the job done and we had fun.

* We did a "year in review".  From the movies we watched to the things we did, we each went around the table and talked about things that were significant for us throughout the year.  Sami wrote them all down in one of her notebooks, and we'll transcribe them to a "formal journal" later.

* We came back home and exchanged gifts.  The catch, however, was that we "gave ourselves" in some special way.  Sami's gift to me?  More kissing this year!  Woo-hoo!!!  Not to say that i am kiss-deprived now... just that "drowning" in kissage will be a fun experiment.  My gift to her? Regulated alone time twice a month for her to just have quiet and space of her own.   No munchkins, no chaos, no errands... just Zen and Sami for at least two predictable spaces.

* We also decided to try to find a way for us to give "of ourselves" to Jesus in some way this whole upcoming year.  We came up with some great ideas, and are still smithing, but expect to have a firm plan by the end of the week.

* Then the kids had collaborated on a few gifts for us on their own.  Elijah gave me his favorite ARC Trooper action figure, and Peri gave Sami a roll of Scotch tape (which, in context, is a HUGE sacrifice on her part since we go through the stuff like water and there's never any around when Sami needs it).

The "topper" for the evening for me was a hand-written note from Elijah to Sami and me.  It read as follows:

"Dear Mom and Dad.  Merry Christmas! I hope the Grinch does not try to steal my Christmas because he can't steal mine.  Because my Christmas isint prsents, feasts, or treditions its about falmily and Ch[r]ist. Your son Elijah."

Maybe my heart will grow "two sizes" this year from its normal Grinchy "size and a half too small".  I'm starting to think so.  Merry Christmas.