Last year at my Bible study a wonderful woman did an illustration with walnuts and rice that has stuck with me through this Christmas season. It was showing how if you fill your jar with all the "stuff" that the busyness of the season holds (example: parties, gift buying, etc.) then the most important stuff (ex: Bible study, family time, etc.) doesn't fit. But then she showed how if you fill your jar with the most important things first, all the other "stuff" falls into place without shoving out the real reason why we celebrate Christmas. I've really tried to stick to this philosophy to see if it helps with my stress level this season. I love Christmas time and traditions, cooking and decorating, wrapping, and creating. I just don't care for the stress that it tends to cause.
So one new tradition I wanted to start this year is to go shopping for our "special family" like we do every year but end the night by going and looking at Christmas lights. There is one neighborhood in town where almost every house decorates so I thought it would be fun to let the kids have a picnic in the back of the car while we slowly drove around. (Notice I said slowly...like not above 10 mph....don't turn me in.)
Our picnic included deer sausage, cheese, crackers and cinnamon apples; topped off with a stop by Starbucks for hot chocolate.
They loved it!!
Then December took a strange turn and my sister had a gallbladder attack and had surgery three days later. While as terrible as that was, we got to keep my niece all day which wasn't terrible at all. My kids ADORE her and it was great practice. :) (I think she's pretty great too!)
So between trying to help her finish her Christmas list, making homemade gifts, already having two Christmas' back to back, and my father-in-law having surgery this Monday; my December has flown by. But, trying to stay true to what I learned last year, we took off from wrapping and gift making on Wednesday to create gingerbread trains with my nephews at my moms house. They were really cute but definitely something that I hope gets better with practice. :) They were pre-built sets but when you have four kids and only two sets of adult hands, it makes for not many pictures but a whole lot of fun. 
Princess did a great job on hers!
Little Man was slightly meticulous with his....no surprise there.
When we got home I placed the trains on the kitchen table, the kids left to shop with their dad, and I headed out to the school house turned craft room to work on some more projects. Meanwhile, our darling little dog took full advantage of our busyness and helped herself to Little Man's train. ARGH! She carried it across the house and munched down.
Oh well, the sets were old anyway and not worth eating so I hope she learned her lesson!! Now all our homemade gifts are complete, wrapping is caught up and I am bound and determined to do nothing but play with my kids tomorrow. I hope I get to share some great pictures with you! Enjoy your Christmas Eve!
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