Welcome to the new year - brief Christmas recap

We spent Christmas in Texas with a lot of family this year, and I really enjoyed it. Our kids have been traveling from very young ages, and traveling with them just seems to get easier and easier. We had a great time with family, delicious food, and good conversations.

Unfortunately, our trip was cut a little short. We received a phone call from the boarding facility where our dog was staying, and our sweet girl's hind legs gave out. The owners of the facility went above and beyond in their care for Super Dog, giving her lots of love and making her as comfortable as possible in our absence, but this wasn't something she was going to "recover" from. We were able to book a return flight for the following day and made it home in time to say "goodbye" to Super Dog. She was almost 15.5 years old, and it is still a bit weird to not have her around. She has been such a constant for Papa Bear and me, and she has helped welcome home all three of our kids. We miss her a lot, and we have spent a lot of time as a family reliving wonderful memories of her. She really was a super dog.

Disney tour de Christmas decor

Some of our family came to visit, and we checked out Christmas decorations at some of the Disney World hotels. We started our "decor tour" at the Animal Kingdom Lodge while there was still enough light out to see the animals on the savannah. It was neat to see them so close to us! The decorations were beautiful inside the lodge as well.

 

From the Animal Kingdom Lodge, we drove to Fort Wilderness Lodge. There was a Mickey Mouse scavenger hunt there for the kids, but it ended up being much more challenging (and time consuming) than we anticipated. In an effort to save time, we stopped the scavenger hunt, exchanged Christmas presents, and grabbed some food before heading to the next hotel. 

After dinner, we grabbed a boat from the lodge and took it to Magic Kingdom. Once we were there, we hopped on the monorail. We were able to see decorations, Cinderella's castle, and Space Mountain lit up nicely against the night sky. We got off the monorail at the Polynesian Resort, looked at decorations there, and watched a little bit of Moana while enjoying Dole Whip for dessert. When we finished our dessert, we headed back to the monorail to the boat to our cars.

 The kids were very excited to have a monorail car to ourselves. Silly monkeys!

 It was a fun (and free - except the food purchases!) way to enjoy Disney with visiting family. Merry Christmas!

Breakfast with Santa, Christmas lights, singing, and celebrations. Oh joy!

We have had a fun December, and it isn't even Christmas yet! We have found some really well-decorated homes, had breakfast with Santa, decorated cookies, eaten lots of sweets!, sang many Christmas songs, participated in/attended a kindergarten holiday program, watched a live nativity, had class Christmas parties, watched Christmas movies, shopped for gifts for others, delivered treats to the trash men and mailman, and more! I have mentioned so many fun things, but they have been (mostly) stress-free and allowed us to truly enjoy time together. Our weekends have been slow and full of family time. That was one of my hopes for this Christmas season. Hallelujah! 

 

 

Sea World Christmas

One activity that we have done over the years is attend the Sea World Christmas. We enjoy the Christmas celebration, and it has been fun to watch the kids' excitement grow over the years. Sea World does a good job of providing a variety of entertainment that goes beyond their animal shows and still incorporates the message of our Savior's birth. This year we met friends at the park which made it extra fun.

The fight against consumerism and busyness.

It's December, and that means it is time to shop! Ok, not really, but that's what advertisers want you to believe. The hustle and bustle of the Christmas season seems to start earlier every year. I love the holidays, but if I'm not careful I can quickly become swept up in the consumerism of Christmas and forget about the true meaning of the season. What is Christmas really celebrating? What are we anticipating?

We are celebrating Christ's birth, and we look forward to His eventual return. 

That message is often missed in all of the Christmas trees, decorations, Santa, and holiday parties. Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoy all of that stuff, so I'm not saying that any of it is wrong. We have some favorite activities that we have done in the past, and I hope to do them again this year.  I'm also not trying to say that my convictions should be your convictions. What I do want to share is that my life already seems to be going at a rapid pace - even without holiday stuff added in - so I have to make a conscious effort to slow down. Maybe you do, too?

This season, I decided to delete all of those emails advertising the "most-important-biggest-most-spectacular-best-buy-it-right-now" sales, and think more about the people that I am buying for and what they would like as a gift. Maybe it isn't even a physical product. I also am trying to pause more and enjoy the people around me instead of giving in to the temptation to fill up my schedule with activities and commitments. Goodness knows my schedule will have no trouble filling up with miscellaneous school Christmas parties and programs anyway. I'm challenging the kids to think of ways to surprise, thank, and celebrate people this time of year, and I look forward to seeing what they come up with. One list of ideas that we have looked at in the past can be found here: http://courtneydefeo.com/lightemup/

Recently my daughter and I went on a scooter ride to a nearby park. It was a beautiful day, and she was so excited. I made a conscious decision to put away my phone (minus snapping the picture) and soak in the time together. It was delightful! Why can it be so hard to be present? Today is a gift, and I want to enjoy today and the lovely Christmas season. I hope you enjoy it too, whether you are participating in Christmas activities, shopping for loved ones, planning fun treats for the days to come. Jesus came to give us life and give it to us fully. This life is a gift, because His life is a gift. Let's celebrate!