Merry Merry Christmas!!!!

Be near me Lord Jesus,

I ask thee to stay,

Close by me forever

And love me I pray,

Bless all the dear children

in thy tender care,

and fit us for heaven,

to live with thee there.

Merry Christmas from an almost- snowy South Carolina!!! (but more about that later!) Last night at church, we sang Away in a Manger like we do every Christmas eve, and one thing I noticed about the new Lutheran hymnal is that the last line of the song says "fit us for heaven" instead of "take us to heaven" like everyone usually sings it. (Does anyone else pay that close attention to away in a manger lyrics, or is that just me?) Anyway, this slight change in wording really made me think about what this song-- and Christmas-- really means. Fit us for heaven... this is my prayer for today and this entire year: that we can truly absorb the weight of the birth of our Savior whose purpose is to fit us for eternal life and we can respond to his spirit accordingly.

Now, some pictures from our Christmas festivities:

Christmas Eve

Christmas morning... Sarah rockin' the plaid!

Sometimes when I don't know what to give people, I get them something that I can enjoy with them... hence The Office DVD's for dad!

One of my fav gifts... Jack Rogers flats!!!

Grandparents were lucky enough to receive these for Christmas... my senior pictures! ha, NOT my idea... that was all Mandy.

**Please note my mom's "ADPi Mom" button that she got in her stocking. Perfect for football games... and Christmas lunch apparently.

Some things never change... such as the granddaughter's spots on the floor for Christmas presents!!

Other traditions not pictured include: Christmas breakfast with the entire fam, everyone enjoying being serenaded by mine and Beth Ann's melodious piano playing (I consider this a gift to our moms for all those lessons they paid for... Christmas is all about giving back, ha!), and matching pajamas. Also, here's a picture of my personal favorite gift that was given this Christmas:

Lila liked Beth Ann's Ugg boots so much that she asked for a pair for herself. Ha!

Our Christmas festivities were broken up by the threat of snow. Everyone felt the need to go fill up their cars with gas... since we all drive so much when it gets icy out? We'll see if we actually get a white (day after) Christmas. I have my doubts... but at least we've got a bunch of Office dvd's to watch if it actually happens! Merry Christmas!