A Different Kind of Christmas

For the last couple years my family has been trying to keep Christmas about the birth of Jesus and less about the gifts.  We typically accomplish this by giving practical gifts on Christmas (clothes, toothbrushes, books, etc) and the fun stuff on "Loot Day" - aka New Years Day.  A day our family uses to celebrate American materialism  ;-).

This year we got a little help.  The last couple days a stomach bug has been going through the house which has meant that any shopping we normally would have done (which to be honest is not much) didn't happen.  I was able to send hubby on a last minute run yesterday (he and my mom are the only ones who have not been hit), but it was for supplies for the sick ones (you know, ginger ale, 7-up, etc).

The only gifts that we had to open today were given by out-of-town family members and my parents.  They were obviously going to be primarily fun gifts, but we decided that under the circumstances that was ok.  Before we opened the gifts we discussed the reason for Christmas and the significance of gift giving at Christmas.  And my kids got it!  How happy was I?  Extremely. 

And to top it off... although my kids didn't get much, they were happy.  They realize the quantity of gifts isn't what matters.  It's the thought that matters.  And the most well-thought out gift imaginable is the gift of Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas everyone!  God bless.

Renewed Energy

Knitting, knitting, kitting.  It seems like since April all I've been doing is knitting. I've knit while watching TV, while playing games with my kids, and even while riding in the car (this is actually scary because what happens to those needles if you crash?!?).

I've knit things for two baby showers and various family members.  Since April I've knit: 1 baby blanket, 4 baby hats, 3 baby mitten sets, 3 baby sock sets, and 5 pairs of socks for kids / adults.

Some of these projects I had to do multiple times; one pair of socks were too short, the cuffs on one pair of socks were too small, and the first hat I made for my nephew probably still doesn't fit because it was so big.  All part of the learning process, since I only started knitting a year and a half ago.

I finished all these projects a few days ago.  I was looking forward to taking a break for a while and then I remembered my intention to make hats for preemies.  I did a little research on that today and found a hospital in the area that even advertises knitting as a volunteer opportunity on their website!  I've left a message and am now looking forward to hearing back from them.  I've been working on this blog post for a while now, and it's original title was going to be "Glad That's Finally Over."  Having a possible focus again is so exhilarating! Bring it on!

For those of you family and close friends who are interested in receiving knit socks, a hat, or a scarf next Christmas, place your request now so I have an idea of what I have to do (and so I can figure out how much I can commit to at the hospital).

If there are any of you out there who are interested in purchasing something for your friends or family I might be open to that as well (after all who doesn't like to make money doing something they enjoy doing in their spare time).

Dreaming of Baby

My nephew that is.  Today I went to a baby shower for my sister-in-law.  I was able to surprise her too!  Originally we were not going to be in the area, but we decided to postpone our departure from VA a couple days so I could go.  As some of you know, I've been working on some knitting projects for my nephew and now that they have been given, I figured I would share pictures of them.

I'm not sure if the pictures show the detail well, but I tried sticking with a theme... hearts.  I found a really cute pattern for a hat with hearts on it and then I decided to adjust the pattern a bit to make it smaller and then add it to the mittens and socks as well.

I don't know what it is, but I'm already attached to this little fella.  I can't wait to meet him (and spoil him).

Not Much to Open

As we approach Christmas this year I've been trying to focus on the real meaning of Christmas with my kids.  We have never celebrated Santa Clause (we're evil I know).  That said, we have told our kids that there was a man named Nicolas years and years ago (I just found out how long ago - I had no idea he lived that long ago) who was known for leaving gifts for the underprivileged. 

I am happy to say that when asked, both of my children now respond that Christmas is Jesus' birthday.  It warms my heart every time when they tell me why that is so special.  They now understand that we give gifts as a symbol of the ultimate gift we were given by Jesus coming to earth in the form of a baby and then 30 or so years later dying on the cross.

This year I have also been reflecting on how our current living situation has made it so that gifts this year for our kids are more in line with things to do (trips to fun places) and not things to play with.  I have felt a bit guilty about it to be honest until I just realized as I was writing this, that Jesus was given 3 gifts from the wisemen. 

Think about kids in this generation being given only 3 gifts.  There would be a revolt!  I think this year we are going to focus on the fact that the "stuff" doesn't matter.  Does that mean that my kids will be receiving no "stuff"?  No.  It means that my kids are going to learn that we give them "stuff" because we love them (not because they deserve it as kids are told with Santa Clause), but we also don't go overboard... because we love them.