Usually this is absolutely my favorite time of year. I love the smells, sounds, lights, activities, busy-ness, get togethers...everything. This year, I just couldn't get in the spirit. Between the unusual-ness of Christmas in a tropical, foreign country, the massive amounts of rain in Brisbane and my dad's death, it was simply not a good time. We weren't involved in a church last year, which also meant that the real Spirit just seemed to be evading us. Of course the Lord's presence is always with us, it was me who was pulling away at the time...but that's another story. I think I would go so far as to say this was the worst Christmas on record for me personally. I was distracted at best and filled with thoughts and emotions that would never normally accompany such a happy time of year. All of this of course meant that my family didn't have the best Christmas ever either. You know the saying: "when mama ain't happy, nobody's happy"? Well you get the idea.
Anyway, we made the most of it and got together with some of our dearest friends here on Christmas Eve. The Purnells were gracious hosts of a little BBQ and some cocktails.
Silly kids.
Jon & Cory hamming it up at the grill, as usual.
Ruby & Marin
Then we went home to get things ready for a visit from the big man. Apparently Santa starts his trip around the world on the international date line and then works his way East, which means Australia is one of the first places he visits before heading to Africa, Europe and then the Americas. This meant we had to get to bed early!
This year Santa was treated to a cake ball!
The cake ball must have paid off, because the next morning, Santa didn't disappoint.
Caden was surprised by his much sought after, and almost life-sized Millennium Falcon.
Marin found her kitchen, and wasn't disappointed that it wasn't more Dora stuff, as the note refers to.
And here's our little American Idol, who got busy with the tunes straight away.
I planned and cooked a big meal for our Christmas dinner, and do you know I don't even remember what we had? That's what kind of a daze I was in. So, I hope and pray that this next year gives me plenty of time to reconnect with the Spirit and the reason we have Christmas in the first place. It is certainly a time of year that deserves our quiet reverence and joy for the hope that Christ brought to our world.
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