Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  I hope your Christmas was spent with loved ones celebrating the birth of our dear Savior.  Through all the gift giving, getting caught up in traditions, and all the excitement the season of Christmas brings, it's hard for me to remember sometimes the real reason we celebrate Christmas.  One day before Christmas break I listened to a sermon by JR Rushik of Storehouse Church (check them out-good stuff) titled "Getting this Christmas Right: The Why's of Christmas."  He gave very practical ways we can be reminded throughout the Christmas season of why we are celebrating. Here are a few:

• every time you use a credit card to buy something remember the moral debt that I owed that He took away and paid.
• when you drive by nativity scenes remember that that really happened- Jesus was really born in a manger with livestock around and 3 kings really came and brought him gifts. It's a real story.
• read the story of the birth of Jesus everyday or couple of days each week so the message of Jesus' birth is washed over you
• every time you receive a Christmas card remember that God chose to have you on His friendship list and rejoice in that.
• every time you receive a gift remember that Jesus Christ is our Christmas gift with my name written on it.
• when you hear Christmas music, remember the song the angel's sang (Luke 2:14) 

Really thinking about these things was a sweet reminder to me during this season and hopefully will be all throughout the year too.  

Our Christmas was busy as usual.  I told someone yesterday I could write out a minute-by-minute script of Dec. 24-Dec.27 and it would be right on from year to year with maybe a few changes.  But I love it like that.  Tradition is my thing.  We went to Clover where my great aunt, CC, lives for Christmas Eve and Christmas day with my mom's side of the family and the day after Christmas we went to Winchester to celebrate my grandma's 75th birthday and did Christmas there with my dad's side of the family.  We had a blast and I was given way more than I deserved.  Here's a little video recap of our Christmas: 

Happy New Year's Eve!!  

xoxo,

erin with a p and a double r