Blessed By Children

My Top 3

Well I write this on Christmas Eve, the title of this post is ‘Bah Hum Bug’.  We will see if it sticks.  But this will be a running blog of the next two days.  I’ll post it when appropriate on Christmas day.  It’s somewhat worth the read due to a few nuggets within this post.

*Wednesday 2:00 PM*
I’ve not been in the Christmas spirit this year.  Not a bit. 

Tonight (Christmas Eve) we will go to a candlelight service at church…. not a place of peace for me lately, so it won’t likely get me ready for Christmas.  Tomorrow we will start the day off at church.  Then we will come home and open all of the gifts. 

Confession… I barely have a clue what my children are getting!  Its all my wife, this is her holiday.  I know my children will be in great joy, will it be enough to give me joy? 

I will say we had a pleasant surprise at Bob Evans today.  My wife was given a gift card to go there, so we wrapped our crew up and went in.  Our final bill was $35, gift card was for $25.  As I went up to the cash register the lady asked how many children we had, I told her 4.  She then said that she was going to give me some coupons for free kids meals.  I thought it was cool, we’d be able to come back and eat for pretty cheap… but she meant on this bill!  So our $35 bill went to $21 which was covered by the gift card.  Then she gave us four more for our next visit!  Pretty cool.  I don’t have a favorite breakfast place, she may have just given me one.

*Wednesday 8:21 PM*
Went to the candlelight service.  About what I expected. Though I will say, at times I feel very unworthy to be the father of my children.  My oldest two were in the service, they came in with lit candles and then walked down the isles.  My oldest son came up the isle we were sitting in, and it just humbles me to know that I am influencing the man he will become.  Both the good and the bad.  At some level I’m thankful that he is a bit of a complacent personality, so he won’t run into many of the frustrations in a church setting that I have.

Got back home and gave the children their first gift… ended up being pajamas.  My 4 year old was being a bit impatient so I made him go last.  When the first three opened up their gift, he said… “I don’t want clothes on Christmas!”  Got to love the honesty!  Though once he saw his, he was more than happy.

I’m smelling “Santa’s” cookies from upstairs.  I better go help

*Wednesday 9:06 PM*
I’m about to have to go up and help the wife with the gifts.  But something that I’ve thought about saying several times, but forget to type…

I’m a devoted Christian.  I’m getting sick and tired of the keep Christ in Christmas crowd.

This holiday is no more about Christ than Halloween is about the devil.  Sure its when us Christians want to remember the birth of Christ, but we all know that it didn’t really happen on December 25th.  Sometimes we get into some really silly arguments.  We see marriage crumbling around us, and we are worried about somebody saying Merry Christmas to us.  Sometimes I don’t get us. If keeping Christ in Christmas is important to you, then do stuff for your family to keep Christ in Christmas.  That’s how I roll. Don’t be surprised when the world wants to remove a person they don’t follow from a holiday they want to follow. 

*Wednesday 11:31 PM*
Well ‘Santa’ just ate his cookies… I think the kids are trying to kill him.  I’ll be up all night due to the amount of icing. Wife is about done wrapping gifts.  Our children better feel blessed (especially since three of them know who Santa really is).

Starting to get in the spirit.

*Thursday 1:03 AM*
OK one of the gifts my wife bought for the children was a Nintendo DS.  Let me say the Gameboy has come a long way.  I remember owning an original some 15 to 20 years ago!  But it was pretty fun playing against each other on the wireless connection.  I kicked her butt, but maybe the funniest part was when we had to blow out candles… its a funny thing to blow into the games mic. 

Starting to look forward to Christmas morning.

Time to clear off the bed as my wife organizes presents.

*Thursday 12:14 PM*
Changed the title of the post, to Blessed by Children.  Went to church to start the day off, arrived 7 minutes till… we were the only ones there besides the minister.  But people showed up fairly quickly after that.  Sung a few songs and the minister asked some of the people there some questions.  I’m blessed with some good children, as I sat there and watched them sing.  Good kids.  I think I’ll keep them.

Got  home and started opening up the gifts, the 4 year old… a bit selfish (I know big surprise), was surprisingly happy even when he got clothes.

After all the gifts I had the ‘joy’ of putting together one of the toys.  ARG!  Then I played one of the Wii games with my son. 

Now I’m down here typing as my wife is trying to get a nap.

Christmas dinner is up next.

*Thursday 8:09 PM*
Well I had dinner and a nap.  Christmas is pretty much done, have to go back to work tomorrow. 

Overall a good couple of days.