Its a Duke Christmas

*Title is taken from one of my favorite scenes in 30 Rock. Go watch it here...I promise it won't disappoint, also I wrote this yesterday but forgot to post it..oops*

This Christmas I am so thankful for my wonderful husband. He keeps me grounded and as written in previous posts he makes "it real for me".  And I am so thankful he has help make Christmas REAL for me and Inara. To remind us what it is really about and keep us focused on the main thing.  Yes, we watched tons of Christmas movies, made fun ornaments, drove around and looked at lights and even gave presents, BUT he kept me focused on Christ and not all the other stuff. 

I LOVE giving gifts! Its so fun to buy stuff for others and if I buy presents super early then I always end up giving them to the person early...I just can't wait! So with Inara being older this year I so wanted to have the tree with tons of presents coming out from underneath it.  But Justin reminded me a few times....that's not what we do.  We decided even before Inara was born to do Christmas different. To try to make it about Christ and the giving...not the receiving.  We decided that each month we would celebrate Christmas. We would take turns buying her a gift each month and talk about the ultimate gift in Christ. That way when Christmas in December rolls around she we aren't in anticipation for tons of presents but hopefully the savior.

So this morning we woke up peacefully (I actually slept in a little), she opened her 2 presents, and we all opened our stockings.  Yep, TWO presents. That is all she got from us.  But here is the thing, I am fully confident we gave her much more.  We spent most of the days in December recounting the Christmas story through an Advent calendar, where we have seen her actually USE scripture to help her not be afraid!  We have given her the gift of learning how to use money in a way that glorifies God. We don't buy presents unless we have the money, and honestly we didn't have the money to buy her more 2 gifts and few stocking stuffers.  We talk about money a lot and we want Inara to know money doesn't just grow on trees. You have to work, to earn money, to buy stuff.

But don't feel bad for us and Inara for having an "empty" tree, because we have an empty tomb and hearts full of joy. And don't roll your eyes at that statement either :) This morning Inara had a blast with her puzzles, glow bracelets, flavored chapstik, and new Sesame street DVD. She had fun making our last 2 ornaments, and we had a relaxed Christmas morning where we could all relax and be thankful not only for Christ's birth but for his death and resurrection.  

This year I am so thankful for being blessed for so much more than I deserve.