Reason enough to party

Though we still had some sickness lurking about (and still do), we didn't let that keep us from a weekend of partying. The first was a "Christmas Girl Party" with the sweet Hillman girls...
The party included:
Toasting, even Lulu got in on the action...
A spa treatment, and again Lulu got in on the action...
Presents...
Emmie got her best friend a shirt that says "My Best Friend Rocks". Should we be embarrassed about that?

And of course, at the party there was Loveliness...
Then our small group from church had it's annual Christmas Party. This is usually at our house, but we moved it to another home with Tate still sick with an "as yet unknown virus". Not exactly what we want to give our friends this Christmas. We left him at home alone with a movie while we went just around the corner. That had my stomach in knots the entire time. But the kids had a great time opening gifts from their secret Santas...
Especially Jack.

And the adults also had fun with our annual White Elephant gift exchange. This is also known as Dirty Santa, which sounds inappropriate for a church function, but I assure you, it is not. Bill ended up with a bag of lima beans. Serves him right because I begged him to steal the Bath and Body works antibacterial soaps and Ghiradelli chocolates on my behalf and he would not. A lesson learned: give your wife what she wants or you will end up with beans.

The final party was at our house with students. Here are the girls...
Another party, another White Elephant gift exchange. I got fuzzy dog slippers. Emma loves them. This time, instead of beans, Bill ended up with three drawings in marker and a broken cell phone charger, a fate even worse than beans. Every year I am excited for these White Elephant exchanges. But there is just one question: WHY???

As for decorating the outside of the house, there's snow, that's good enough right? My thought on outside lights is simple. I'm going with a minimalist theme this year. I'm just turning on our front porch light. You know, to represent the star in the sky that Bethlehem night. Yeah, that's it. Also on the decorating front, I braved the perils of our storage room and emerged with none other than Mary herself. So, the Holy Family is reunited and on our front porch...
With the parties, the decorating, lingering sickness, and my nemesis (The Laundry) I haven't done a very good job so far of keeping this season as simply focused on Christ as I desired. But I take comfort in this: He is with me while I do (or don't do) laundry. He is with me while I take temperatures, administer ibuprofen, and make trips to the doctor. He is with me while I blog and shop and referee fights and complain about the frigid cold. In all the activities of my day, He is with me. And He will be with me forever. "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel"(which means God with us). Matthew 1:23.

He's not meant to be a plaster statue on a front porch afterall. He is meant to be the King. Of the universe, yes. And of my heart as well.