Christmas is yet upon Us. (These are last years photos in Northern Canada) !

I have a little secret. I actually do like snow.......... at Christmas! :)

After Christmas is said and done, I'm wishing for summertime again.

So this will be our first year away from extended family for Christmas. Our first year spent all alone in the warm comforting walls of our very own home. The first in ten years! It will be different, but I am oddly excited about it.

Why is it that December is the hardest financial time of the year for us. It seems we've overspent throughout the summer then Christmas lands in our laps and there is no money left to speak of. The kids end up spoiled by Grandparents and cousins, so life goes on. Call me scrooge, but I really hate Christmas shopping. Why is there a feeling of a need to buy... for so and so.. and so and so. Lets say we all donated money to our favorite charities for Christmas. Lets say we didn't emphasize so much on giving gifts and instead did service work for eachother or baking.

Something that has me utterly confused is why so many anti- christians celebrate Christmas. If you don't believe and have testimony of Jesus Christ as our Savior of this world then WHAT ARE YOU CELEBRATING!! "Happy holidays, have some spirits and we'll toast to Saint Nick." Christmas must be so simple and meaningless to those.

Okay enough scrooge. This year I would like to focus more on serving and celebrating the nativity. I do love Christmas because of family and I will miss my Canadian families dearly this year. But after the New Year is done and I sit outside in my lounge chair soaking up the Arizona rays, I'll be gratetful to start a new year and maybe a crash diet.