Christmas Crunch Time

Aw according to my son's Snoopy Christmas Countdown Clock there are 4 days, 17 hours 2 minutes and 31, 30, 29 seconds left until Christmas Day! For the first time in years I feel ready. I am not stressed, I am not rushed, I paced myself. I am happy, and whatever I haven't gotten to, I am just going to enjoy these days that I have to be Merry and Bright.

After the recent events of last week I am truly grateful to have a family and a child that I can wrap my arms around tight, that I can spend time with. I need to make the time count. I need to savor the NOW because it can so easily be taken from me and I can never get it back. There is no rewind button.  I could have all the possessions in the world and they wouldn't replace my family being close to me in the flesh able to touch and appreciate.
The presents are bought and wrapped, the cookies are made for the neighbor's gifts. Preschool exchange gift is wrapped along with the teacher's gift. I am going to run a few errands today to take some things back, I have one last trip to the grocery for the items I need for cookie baking day, for Christmas Eve and Day dinners, I have perogie filling made, just need to make the perogies. I have my annual cookie baking day with my nieces planned for Saturday! I can't wait it is so much fun. This year we will throw Paxton in the mix and I will remember to remain calm that they are only kids having fun and a little wasted flour, sprinkles, sugar and mess are nothing compared to spending time with them enjoying making memories.
 My hubby decided to try his hand at tamale making this year so Sunday we are having a tamale making party. (honestly I am not a tamale fan, but they should be fun to make). I wanted this Christmas to be meaningful, to teach my son the true meaning. Together we purchased a special Santa key that we fixed up and added a little saying for Santa and his reindeer to get into our door, (thanking him for coming to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ), since we don't have a fireplace for him to get down. We bought and have read our daily bible sayings (and of course my son ate the chocolates) from the advent calendar. We decorated together, talked about the manager story and Paxton has decided that Christmas morning Jesus' birthday cake will be white with  mini red and green M&M's . We can celebrate Christmas morning and sing Happy Birthday to HIM.  Paxton has had fun watching his elf hunt, fish, ride on dinosaurs, eat Nutella and get it on his nose, grow candy canes in the backyard and hang from the lights. This is the first year he wasn't afraid of Santa Claus, climbed right up on his lap and told him what he wanted, ( a truck/trailer and boat- from Bass Pro and a skateboard)  It has really been a fun filled season full of new and interesting things now that he is the age where things make more sense to him. I really have enjoyed it and can't wait to make these memories traditions year after year.
This year we gave to the church food drive, donated a few of my books to the Cardon's Children's Hospital and thanks to a dear friend the Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT, as well as donated to the United Way in lieu of Scentsy's original plan to donate a Scentsy Buddy for each child  to the Sandy Hook School Children, due to gifts not being accepted. This is truly the season for giving and I want my son to learn that is is in giving that we receive.

“O Divine Master, grant that I may not seek to be consoled, as to console. To be understood, as to understand. To be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” ~St. Francis of Assisi