Dec 27, 2016

Christmas Memories || Discussion


Ahh...the days after Christmas.  Where everyone tries to force themselves go back to "normal" without being saddened as the lights and trees slowly disappear.  The presents are gone, and the gifts might not seem quite as appealing as before.  But even so, one of the sweetest blessings remain:  memories.



I can't imagine what life would be like without memories.  I'm not talking about short-term memories, but the ones from years long gone.  How cold and gloomy the world would be if we forgot fun times of the past!  It's incredible how God gave us so many amazing abilities that we take for granted.

Now that Christmas has gone, I would like for us to share those memories.

What were some of the hidden blessings that you discovered this Christmas season?  Does your family have special traditions to celebrate?  Did you give a gift to Jesus this Christmas?  What was different about this Christmas compared to ones of the past?  Did you learn anything special as you celebrated Jesus' birth?  How did you keep the focus on Him instead of gifts, food, and fun?

I'm excited to read your answers. =)  I have found that we all celebrate this holiday differently, yet alike.  I enjoy discovering how each individual and family uses their own special twists to make this day special.

I think our holiday fun started a week before Christmas even arrived...because some truly amazing missionary friends came over to spend several days with us.  We just love them so much, and it was a blessing to be encouraged by their example.  (I might talk more about their visit and lessons I learned in a future post)

On Christmas Eve, my family watched Big Hero 6, which wasn't intentionally to start out the celebration or anything, but the next morning we were quoting it all over our house.  Hehe.  That was pretty fun. ;)

My family started out the day by eating waffles with maple syrup (yum!) and reading Luke 2 – the story of Jesus' birth.  We talked about different aspects of it as a family.  After that, we exchanged gifts, but the catch was that we didn't know who was assigned to buy OUR gift!  It was all secret.  A lot of laughter, smiles, and excitement followed.  We ate lunch with our grandparents, relaxed all afternoon, and hung out with friends in the evening – talking and singing.  It was a calm day, but we were very tired by the end. =)  I enjoyed the time to be together as a family and to focus on Jesus. ♥

And now it's your turn...I'm eager to hear some of your Christmas memories. =)

6 comments:

  1. Oooh, sounds like you had a glorious Christmas, Hosanna! I would LOVE to hear more about the lessons you learned from your friends--knowing me, it would be a very enjoyable post for me to read! ;)
    AND YAY FOR 'BIG HERO 6'. Isn't it the most epic movie ever?! And it's always fun to quote movies. ;) Savannah and my other sister Skylar do it all the time with 'Lord of the Rings'.
    We also read the Christmas story! I'm the main read-aloud person in our family, and so I read the Christmas story aloud on Christmas. ;)
    And MAN OH MAN isn't it fun singing with the people you love?! We do it ALL. THE. TIME. when our mom's side of the family comes over.
    Our Christmas started out quite eventfully. We woke up that morning to lightning flashing through the windows, thunder rumbling, and rain pouring. Thankfully, all that calmed down by the time we left for church. We had ten of our extended family members over, so we had quite the full house! =) We laughed a whole lot, sang a whole lot, ate a whole lot, and had a wonderful day!
    Oh, and by the way, I didn't comment on your former post, so I'll just do it here. MY OH MY that was written beautifully. You have a true gift, Hosanna. =) "This holiday is so much more than we can ever know or imagine. It is deeper than our minds can even fathom." That right there? PURE GOLD.
    I hope you have the most wonderful 2017, my friend!
    -Ariel

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    1. My Christmas was indeed "glorious!" ;) And it sounds like yours was as well! A thunderstorm, extended family, laughing, singing, and eating... =) What a great combination! Did anything stand out to you this Christmas compared to ones of years past?

      Yesss! Big Hero 6 was such a fun movie. =) My family loved it! I'm not usually a fan of Disney, so I was surprised that I actually left that movie really liking it. =) Lol. (forgive me for not loving Disney, Lol)

      Isn't it cool how almost every family celebrates Christmas in similar ways? You read the Christmas story too. =) It puts things into perspective, doesn't it? And singing... ;)

      Aw... ♥ I'm glad that my Christmas post was encouraging to you. You are such a blessing, Ariel!!

      Because I took my time in commenting, and Christmas has passed...

      Happy New Year!!! =)

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  2. Merry (late) Christmas, Hosanna!! :D I’m glad to hear that you had such a wonderful Christmas! I hope you are all settling into your new home nicely. :)
    I’m so glad to hear that you had a lovely Christmas. Having missionary friends over is so much fun! :D I really enjoyed reading about how your Christmas went. I had a great Christmas too. We had snow, so that was really fun! On Christmas morning, after we all were awake, we read the Christmas story, opened stockings, had breakfast, then opened presents. Later in the afternoon my grandparents came over for an early dinner.
    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Hosanna!!! :D

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    1. Thank you, Rebekah! We are settling into our new house, and it has been a very nice few weeks. =) We are enjoying it, and the "moving" process is almost completely over! Horray! =)

      Yes, it is SO much fun to have missionary friends over! Have you been able to have some to your house as well? It's encouraging and interesting to learn about the different countries they serve in. It's also nice when they speak a language you are practicing. ;)

      A white Christmas? That sounds lovely. =) Ours was actually quite warm and sunny. Lol. Snow always makes the air more festive. It sounds like your Christmas was quite similar to ours. =) It's so fun to have grandparents over. ♥

      Happy New Year, Rebekah! =)

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    2. That's great, Hosanna!! :)

      It definitely is!! :) Yes, we were able to have a missionary friend over this past fall. It was a ton of fun. :D
      Oh, that's definitely helpful if they speak the language you're learning!

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    3. I agree! It's so much fun, but also very impacting. =) I'm sure that you had an amazing time with your missionary friend. =)

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