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How I’m Recapturing Christmas

This post is a response to this post on the blog Charlie Says It.

I was raised in a family that celebrated Christmas and its true meaning – the joy and gift of Christ’s birth – while also observing wonderful family traditions with the whole extended family. It was good. And still is.

As an adult, with a family of my own, little has changed. We delight in watching our children open presents while trying to instill in them a love for giving and a knowledge that the reason we give is because God gave us His Son. It’s been so good.

But it can be better. A thousand times better, and that’s why I want to recapture Christmas.

Recapturing Christmas actually began for me this past September, when I began volunteering with Shoes 4 the Shoeless. Here I was introduced to children who have great needs.  These children are in life situations where they have caregivers who either cannot or will not provide these needs for them. Most are fortunate to eat at least a free lunch and sometimes a free breakfast at school. But nights are hungry and often cold, weekends long and empty.

I’ve seen a teacher tear up as she described how grateful she was to be able to give new underpants to a child who didn’t have any. Another told our group of volunteers, “Our kids come to school to survive. They come to school to be safe, and be fed.”

Jesus loves these little children. And so must we.

I was proud, and privileged, yet humbled, and broken to be able to help and give love this year.

Christ calls on us to help the poor. These children who cannot provide for themselves are the poorest of the poor. And they have taught me what I need to know to recapture Christmas this year.

We desperately needed Christmas – a gift that brought absolute love and light into a world that was absolutely mean and dark. It can still be dark. Haven’t we seen that, oh so recently? But that’s why God sent Jesus – a gift – the Son of God come to live among such darkness, come from the beauty of heaven to suffer the indignities of human life! To give and give and give and serve and serve and serve, knowing He would receive nothing in return!

What I know, friends, is that Christmas – the hope of Christmas – needs to be lived in my life and my actions all year long. And so I’ve resolved to live in a way that it can be. For me, this means using my money and my time wisely so there’s some left over to give to those in need. This fall, in a variety of ways, I got a good start. In 2013, I want Christmas to be constant, a way of life, year-round, oozing Christmas out my pores. Can I do it? I don’t know. But I will try.

Because Christmas needs to be recaptured in my life. And friends, the chase is on.

 

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For the parents who can’t, I tell my baby “Happy Birthday”.

Today is Monday, December 17, 2012. Three days after one of the most horrific days in our nation’s history. Three days after the murders of 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Emily and I have a bloggy friend, Victoria, (a.k.a. VDog), who lost her nephew, Noah Pozner, age 6, in the shootings. We love us some VDog. We are heartbroken for her family, and for all the families who lost a loved one. When I heard there was a school shooting in Connecticut, I never dreamed that I would know someone who would be affected personally. But the internet has made our small world that much smaller.

As I said, we love us some VDog. If you would like to help her family, you can give to a fund that will provide counseling and education for Noah’s four siblings (two of whom are also students at Sandy Hook, one being his twin sister.) You can donate through this link here. It is set up as an “event” – you simply “buy a ticket” in any amount you choose.

Victoria did an amazing job talking about her nephew Noah on CNN last night, please take a minute to remember Noah with her by watching here. (The part where she noted with grief that her son Ethan would no longer have his “cousin buddy” really got me, as I’m sure you can imagine.)

***

So. It’s three days later. Our nation is still reeling. And I feel a little funny writing a tribute post to my darling baby boy on his birthday, when there are so many parents who will never celebrate another birthday with their darling babies.

It’s so not fair.

And yet I feel that if I asked them, those parents would urge me to speak about my boy. To take the chance to let everyone know how wonderful he is. To take the chance to revel in what I love most about him as he is right now.

So I will. And I will also tell him.

Jonah my love,

I can hardly believe you are two. It sounds cliche, but I really cannot believe how fast these two years have flown. It seems only yesterday you were still cozy in your swaddle or sling, and now you’re climbing the stairs by yourself!

Jonah, you are a funny boy. You like to create a little mayhem. Your two favorite activities are throwing toys at mommy when she’s in the shower, and throwing toys over the gate at the top of the stairs, exclaiming, “Yay!” and “Whee!” while you make a big mess.

You are a mama’s boy. I finally just weaned you within the last two weeks! You held out until I had to make you give up the sauce. But you still want me all to yourself, especially in the morning. You throw a fit when Joshua, Sophie, or Daddy needs my attention and you grin with devilish glee when they leave the house for work and school! Oh, Jonah. Not nice, kid! You are going to have to get used to them. Please tell me this is just a phase!

You are a boy who loves to play and learn. I have no idea why we spend money on toys for you, when your favorite ones are those I make for you out of old coffee cans and wipes tubs! Like your brother and sister before you, you LOVE letters and you love to bring me a card with a letter on it and tell me what it is. You love to count your toes, stack pegs on your pegboard, and do anything you can dump out and do all over again. You love music and my favorite thing in the world is hearing you sing and do the motions to “The Wheels on the Bus”. I will never get tired of it!

You are a physical boy. You’re whooping up on where your brother and sister were at your age as far as fine and gross motor skills are concerned! You want to accomplish a task physically, you make it happen! But you’re not as verbal as I’d like you to be, and I can’t wait for you to really talk to me! You know so many words but I can’t wait to hear you start putting them together. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say, my love.

You are my sidekick. I love spending our days, just you and me, now that the big kids are both in school all day. You waited a long time to have mommy to yourself and I am loving our time together, my sweetheart. Being your mom is pretty much the best gift ever.

And now you’re two! What will you do this year? I can’t wait to see! I’m so proud of who you are, of your sweet smile and snuggles, of your funny, stubborn personality, and of all the great things I know you’re going to do.

(But my birthday wish for you? That you stop holding your breath when you throw a fit! That scares me to death!)

I love you, Jonah Laton. Happy Birthday!

Love,

Mommy

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Stocking Stuffers for Dudes (and a giveaway!)

I don’t know about you, but my most desperate Christmas errand every year generally involves shopping for stocking stuffers for Bobby. My mom sighs and moans about getting stocking stuffers for my brothers and Bobby, and now, my teenage nephews, too! I mean men…are just…so difficult to  shop for in general, but especially when it comes to tiny stocking-sized items (unless those items cost $200 and up)!

Well, if you’re wondering about the perfect stocking stuffer for the token male in your household, I’ve got the perfect solution for you – and a giveaway, to boot!

May I present to you…The Gillette Fusion ProGlide Styler razor and Fusion ProGlide Clear Shave Gel! (And yes, your eyes do NOT deceive you! It’s a razor! It’s a trimmer! It’s pretty fantastic!)

Bobby has been using the Gillette Fusion for years, but when they came out with the ProGlide, he pronounced it, “The best razor that has ever been made.” And that’s all he will use! His face is now very particular (and smooth as a baby’s butt after he shaves with that Fusion ProGlide every morning!) Isn’t he cute and clean-shaven?

 

So, Bobby will definitely be getting some more Gillette gear (he loves the skin care/shaving products, too!) in his stocking to go with his Fusion ProGlide trimmer. (And his Chapstick and wintergreen Tums, woohoo!) Because Bobby likes shaving with the Fusion ProGlide, and I like it when Bobby shaves!

And now…for a giveaway! TWO, count ’em TWO of you are going to win a Gillette Fusion ProGlide trimmer & clear shave gel to go in your man’s stocking! Woot woot! To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling me whose stocking this prize pack will go in! One winner will be chosen at random on Friday, December 20th. And SPEAKING of December 20th – we’ve got a Gillette #GiftofStyle Twitter party that afternoon from 2-3 pm EST and I’d love it if you’d join us!

Good luck!

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Gillette totally hooked me up with a razor & shave gel for the hubs, and I am being compensated for this post by Gillette and the Motherhood. All opinions are my own and my hubby’s!

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