Christmas musings...

Well, friends, Christmas is only 2 days away! I am so glad for the season that is now upon us! I love, love, love, love, love Christmas! But, this year is a little different.

It is our second Christmas season living in Kentucky, away from family. Last year, as a temp, I was able to finaggle (is that a word? it doesn't show up on spell check....) a week and a couple days off for Christmas. This year, though, I have to have my schedule work with the other girls in the office. Because we took time off around Thanksgiving, I was the low priority on the totem pole for having time off around Christmas. So, this year, I am working until 11:00 AM on Christmas Eve and going back to work on Monday, December 29. So, as I was riding into work with my hubby, I was telling him that I have had a really hard time getting excited about Christmas this year. Partly, I know, because I'm not getting time off that I really want. So, I know that is a little (read: very) selfish, but, I just thought I'd throw it out there. The bright spot to my work schedule is that (crazy...) my office is closed 1/2 day on New Year's Eve (Rusty's bday!!!) and all day New Year's Day and the day after! So, we will be able to get some of our relaxing done on those days! :)

Anywhooo, I am very happy to be seeing our families this year, even though it will be super short! We will be spending 2 days with Rusty's family and 1 day with my family...and then we will be heading back to KY on Sunday. We are getting into NA just in time to finish up Christmas Eve at the big house with Rusty's extended family. Then, Christmas with the immediate family (which includes two very cute cocker spaniels) and then to Grandma Edna's for lunch/dinner. We will spend Friday relaxing and then drive up to Columbia in the evening. Saturday will be Christmas with my family and then off to KY on Sunday. It will be a whirlwind trip, but well worth it to see families!

So, the real reason why I love Christmas is that we get to celebrate the birth of our wonderful, great Savior during this season. Isn't it fabulous that God chose to come down to earth to save us from our sins? In church on Sunday, our pastor said something that really resonated with me. He said that the birth of Jesus as a human was really a declaration of war. It was God saying to Satan, sin and death that He was serious when He said in Genesis that the seed of the woman would crush Satan under His foot. So, if we were to put money on a fight, I would choose the guy who has his foot on the other guy's head, wouldn't you? So, in this season with cute-sy nativity pictures, maybe we should remember that the birth of our Savior was just that. Our Savior, who would go on to destroy the power of sin and death in our lives, was born. The events that would bring about our life, true life with Christ living in us, were set into physical, tangible motion. So, this season, we celebrate the birth of the Christ, Messiah, God with us! Merry Christmas! :)