Our little Christmas in the South...

This year after living in a hotel for the better part of the summer and being unemployed for a long time (a long time for us anyway) Jaxon and I decided that we wanted to see our savings account with more than cobwebs again and chose not go get each other gifts. Instead we did extra nice things for each other all day. Well, mostly just he just did nice things for me. I got to sleep in a bit, I got a nap, I got to take us to my friends house for a meal of scones and quiche,(which I like) and I got to sit on the couch after I put our dinner in the oven and read while Jaxon did the rest. Tomorrow will be his day and I think breakfast in bed will start it out dandy.
You see my one of my biggie 'love languages' is 'acts of kindness' This goes a looongg way in our house. He buys me flowers that will die in a week and I'm thankful. He vacuums the house and I'll pretty much do anything he wants. We have been trying to get the children to understand that service is another way to say 'I love you'.
This babies woke early (KORBIN WOKE EARLY) and in this house we have an eight o'clock rule-if you wake before eight you can tip toe to the fireplace (yea, we have one=) and get your stocking and bring it to mom and dads room and open it in there but you have to wait for everyone else for gifts. FYI Our tree is in a different part of the house than the stockings so he wouldn't pass the gifts!!
When we woke Miss. Allie we could hardly pry her from her stocking to go and see her wonderful play kitchen!! She just was not interested! Jaxon finally picked her up and carried her into the formal sitting room with the tree and the lovely display of gifts and ONLY THEN was she happy we took her away from her stocking!
We didn't have tons to open but what the children got was everything that they wanted. Korbin hasn't asked for anything else ALL YEAR-just a wii. In the spring it was 'If I'm good Santa will bring a wii' in the fall it was the same and last night in his earnest prayers he spoke with reverence 'Heavenly Father I am a good boy and I listen to my mom and dad and teachers and I really really want a wii-but I'm gonna need lotsa controllers for my friends, so don't forget about that too.' We laughed as we put it under the tree and wrapped all the nun chucks and chargers and games. Im not a 'gamer' and after giving Game Stop enough money to pay their rent for a month it doesn't look like my chances are good.
Our Christmas was a quiet one-as quiet as we get and I loved it. I like that we read several Christmas stories throughout the day and I like that its focused on Christ and we don't go crazy with gifts.(I like it when the kids aren't overwhelmed with junk that parents think they should have when the kid really only wanted this or that) I like the way we do Christmas. I like that I get to spend it with people I adore. I like that the swaddleing babe who saved the world, saved me. I love Christmas.