The true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas has always been such a special time of the year for me... I start singing Christmas songs about as soon as my birthday has past in September and I used to wear my Christmas hat every minute I was home starting the week of Thanksgiving. I'm so thankful that Brian has the same passion for this season.
Each year there is always something new that makes Christmas more special but this year that something seems even more apparent to me. Now that Ella is almost 3 she has questions about everything we see and do. And the responsibility/ privilege that I have as her mommy is to share the Joy of Christ that we celebrate at Christmas. I was trying to teach her that if someone asks her about Christmas and presents she should respond with "the real reason we celebrate Christmas is because baby Jesus was born". When we practiced all she was thinking about was opening her presents under the tree. In a way I'm glad that she doesn't just repeat the little "sunday school" answers we try to teach her because it shows me that we have such selfish hearts that take a lot of bending to become focused on True things! Though it does bless my heart when she gives a God honoring answer or recites one of her Bible verses.
It's just amazing how a two year old can reveal so much about my own sin nature to me and bring me to my knees before my Savior with thanksgiving for His undeserved love, grace and mercy.