christmas spirit

over the past several days, i've consumed a ridiculous amount of cookies and wassell, and attempted to then exercise all those calories off at the gym. i think i'm thru the worst of it.

i hosted a sweet swap last tuesday and invited all the "neighbor ladies" (9 people. eeveryone brought 4 dozen cookies. you do the math). i didn't want to look at another cookie for at least 2 or 3 hours after that. ;-) we've lived in this house for 2 & 1/2 years and don't know any of the neighbors other than the obligatory wave if someone is out doing the yard or checking their mail. 4 of them came over and 1 brought a friend, and a few of my girlfriends came over, so it was a great time of chatting and eating till i felt like vomiting. ah, the christmas season.

i'm officially done with shopping as of yesterday. i needed to pick up a few last minute stocking stuffers and a gift for our nephew. now i can just enjoy the countdown.

shayne and kristen came over last night for our yearly christmas(ish) tradition.

they are 2 years apart, big brother little sister, and we just love them! they have the kind of relationship with each other that we pray colby and molly will have as they get older. so each year over the christmas break (this is the 3rd year we've done it) they come over and pray over the kids as we move into the new year. it's a sweet time and gives us an opportunity to catch up with shayne and kristen, too.

this morning erin, a friend of mine from the theatre (we were in CATS together), came over for coffee and brought homemade donuts (yum!). we hadn't seen each other in several months, so that was a fun time with her. she has a blog too, and poted this story she got off the blog of a friend of hers (she knows this guy, so this is a real story). what a sweet blessing and story of christmas spirit...

"Friday night I was out delivering pizzas, lost in the dark and looking for some semblance of address numbers on the houses as I passed. At the end of the street was a home brilliantly lit for the Christmas season. Santa Claus stood in his sleigh on the grassy front lawn, surrounded by blow up snowmen, snow-globes and a barrage of other holiday lawn decor. This was the house. As I opened the car door and grabbed 2 steamy pizzas and a box of greasy hot-wings, Mannheim Steamroller wafted gently from hidden speakers. As I rang the doorbell, Jingle Bells started playing in tinny door-chime fashion as I waited on the front stoop. The dull glow of thousands of blue-tinted LED Christmas lights illuminated the receipt for $31.95. My wife and I usually decorate our house with Christmas lights, but a fire last August destroyed all of our exterior lights. Being on a tight budget, we decided to buy a tree this year and forgo exterior decor until Christmas 2009. We had heard about the new LED Christmas lights, so I asked the homeowner how he liked them. We chatted for a bit as he paid for his pizza, and I mentioned that our Christmas lights were destroyed last year. At this his eyes brightened and he said, "I have just the tip for you." He walked me out to the front of his garage where 5 large rubbermaid tubs sat, filled with Christmas lights. A lump rose in my throat as he started hauling them out to my car. They were filled to the brim with lights of all shapes and sizes. As we loaded them into the car, he asked only that I promise to put them up and wish my neighbors a merry Christmas. I was blown away. To him, they may have just been some extra lights that he wasn't using this year. To me they were a very generous gift of Christmas Spirit."

i leave you with some very sound advice from colby:

"be careful driving out there. make sure you stay on the road."

Merry Christmas to you!! i hope you have a blessed holiday!