Happy Holidays, or as in my case, Happy HoliDAZE! (There isn't anything quite like fighting holiday shoppers for that bargain you had your eyes on for the past several weeks, and there ain't nothing like competing for a parking space the day after Thanksgiving!!)

I have been busy shopping and trying to get the place ready for our company that is sure to come for the Christmas holiday break, and I have also been working and trying to keep tabs on nearly fifty very active children. But I DID get some good news on Thanksgiving: I am to be OFF on Christmas Day; I was scheduled to work on Christmas (as I had Thanksgiving off), but I am OFF on that day. My supervisor called to tell me the good news, and I was so happy to know that I will be off on Christmas Day, too! (Which is just as well: we are having our daughters who are out of state come home, and I will be able to see our grandkids again, and we will also be having company coming in from California and from Alaska! So we will definitely have a houseFULL come Christmas time!!)

I love this time of year: the lights are starting to appear on houses (we got our lights up on Saturday, and we also did our tree and put up our decorations), and I have been busy baking cookies and cooking up a storm. We did go out to eat on Thanksgiving, to the Golden Corral, where we had a wonderful feast, and we just sat there and gave thanks for all the blessings that God has bestowed upon our lives. This Christmas will be especially meaningful for us this year because we adopted three new children, a little girl from Romania, and two smaller children from Sri Lanka; and they are going to experience Christmas for the very first time, and it will be a very magical time for them, indeed! I am enjoying watching Arjun and Rani's faces as they look at the twinkling lights, and on Friday, they got to meet Santa Claus for the very first time. (Of course, both cried when they met the Jolly Old Elf, but their tears soon dried up when Santa Claus gave them a candy cane and a coloring book and some crayons.) The older kids also had a good time with Santa Claus, and this weekend is our city's Christmas parade and tree-lighting ceremony (replete with fireworks!). So we will be having a good time this weekend, as well, and next Sunday, our church is having their annual Christmas Cantata. We have been gearing up for the Cantata, and during the festivities, I, Johnny, Ronee', and several other family members will be singing during the presentation. (I normally don't sing, but this year I got picked to sing "Joy! To The World". Just as long as I don't goof up during the song or lose my voice, I will be okay! I also hope I don't fall on my way to the microphone; that would be a tad embarrassing! LOL)

We also get to think about Jesus, the REAL Reaason for the Season, and we get to give thanks to Him and give Him the Glory as we celebrate His Birth and the fact that He is still instrumental in people's lives today. We love to glorify Him, and we can't think of anything better to celebrate what is REALLY the true meaning of what makes Christmas so special.

Yet all the commercialism and craziness has not dampened OUR holiday. It may have dampened a lot of people's spirits, but we refuse to fall in that trap, and we will choose to enjoy the holiday and try to remove some of the craziness from our lives. Christmas is still very special to us, and this year it will be especially so. We don't need to act all stressed out or crazy: as long as we have Christ in our lives and in our heart and remember Him this Season, we will have a wonderful holiday indeed! :)