There are a lot of reasons why Christmas was hard this year. We had a much smaller budget (last years was significantly higher than this years), I had to un-decorate the tree, plans were jumbled at best, and the list goes on. It was a very big learning experience. It was re-affirmed many times over that I do not do well with vague plans, that I am indeed an introvert, that no matter how much I want it I cannot have a Martha Stewart perfect home with little children (and may never have one), and that Christmas is NOT about spending money, or baking loads of sweets, or decorating perfectly. No, Christmas is about God humbling himself and becoming a little baby, Jesus, as part of His grande and perfect plan to save us all from our sin.
It's so hard to remember the gospel in Christmas when every where around you is the pressure to materialize it. I think everything that seemed to put a strain on our holidays was designed to point me back to Christ, and it did. However, God did bless us this year despite our limitations. The kids have many wonderful new toys even though we could only get them 2 each, we spent 3 joyous days celebrating and 2 of those with family, and I have a plan to help reduce stress and financial strain for next year!
Christmas Day was also Wynter's birthday! It's still so strange to think of that. Though we will be celebrating her birthday in January this year, and will continue to set aside a separate time each year for her special day, we cannot ignore that last year she was born on Christmas Day, and she will always be a year older come Christmas morning.
Here are some wonderful photos we took before I un-decorated the tree:
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