The Magic of Christmas (and the gifts!)

Last Christmas I didn't get much into the spirit because I was having such a hard time. We were trying to save for the adoption and decided we wouldn't spend much. We only put up a tree because that is when our caseworker wanted to come to our home study.

This year I was determined to enjoy Christmas despite the fact it is still only the two of us. I found three ways to make this Christmas better. First, I kept Josh so busy as Santa that we didn't have time to stop and think. It was so much fun. On Christmas Eve we went to 6 different homes. In between those homes I started thinking about the magic of Christmas. I had almost forgotten what is was like. But to watch the children's faces light up when Santa walked it helped me remember that this is a magical time of year and it needs to be enjoyed. I was also reminded of that yesterday as we watched our nephew Preston open all the presents. I watched him start to open his grandpa's present (from grandma to grandpa) and his mom tried to tell him that was grandpa's present. But I knew grandpa wouldn't mind because he loves his grandchild so much. And so we watched Preston open ALL the presents.

The second thing I tried to do this year was to be more giving. Something about the season seems to bring out a kinder person in me and I want to make sure that everyone around me can enjoy the season too. I donated to the local angel tree and another family in the area and I even left a bigger tip than normal when we went to dinner during the week.

The last thing we did was to spend on ourselves. That's the plus side to having no kids, we can spend all the money on ourselves. Earlier this month I posted about my new camera. I loved it, but earlier this week I took it back and upgraded to a better one. I am very happy with that decision. This should be the only camera I will need for years and years to come. As we were driving to Josh's families I saw this hawk sitting on a power pole and decided to try out my new camera.

Josh also had a great Christmas. This summer he started looking at some gun stocks he wanted to buy, but I wouldn't let him because it seemed like so much money to me (I only think that way because we are still trying to save for the adoption). But I finally broke down and let him order two; one for Christmas and one for his birthday (that's tomorrow!) They are so pretty! I think my husband has the sexiest guns now!