The best Christmas tree ever

Today we took the girls to a nearby farm to pick out our Christmas tree. Beth and Amy immediately began running around frantically trying to find the "perfect tree", and they agreed upon one within five minutes. As luck would have it, Mr. Claus himself arrived at the farm just as they were cutting our tree and loading it onto our car, so we stepped inside for a storytime and a visit with Santa. Amy in particular was in awe of the whole scene, and we drove home with three very happy little girls.

We spent the afternoon decorating the tree, with Christmas carols playing in the background. Each ornament that came out of the box has a story to go along with it, and we had so much fun reminiscing with the girls. They just can't understand why the ornaments from 1996 say "Dan and Ellen", instead of "Daddy and Mommy". It's unimaginable to them that there was ever a time when they were not around to help trim the tree.

Those Christmases back before Beth was born were wonderful. Dan and I enjoyed exchanging gifts and picking out a Christmas tree, but we didn't realize how much more fun it could really be with little ones around to share in the Christmas activities. It truly is a magical time of year for them. But these girls also remind us every day about the real meaning of Christmas. They honestly find Jesus' birth just as intriguing as the arrival of Santa, and they pepper us with questions about the stable, the wisemen, and who Jesus really is.

Hopefully you are lucky enough to have someone around to remind you of what we are really celebrating on December 25th. And I hope that you are enjoying the wonder of the season as much as we are here.