As most of you know, Mike and I are hosting Christmas at our house this year. My family will arrive on the 23rd for our annual excursion to the Trail of Lights. We will then celebrate Christmas Eve at our Church (Covenant Presbyterian) at the Families with Young Children service. This comes complete with a live nativity scene with camels and donkeys etc…If you have never experienced the joy of the Family Christmas Eve service, let me tell you, it will drive you to drink. It is easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas in a crowded pew with children crawling over and under the pews and smearing Goldfish and Graham Crackers in their hair and on their cute little faces (not to mention your best pair of black slacks). Don’t get me wrong, when my kids were babies, this was truly the best place to be -- celebrating Jesus’ birth in an atmosphere that was tailored to the short attention span of our little ones (and exhausted parents). While our kids are now old enough to attend the later service, we will continue with our family tradition of straining to hear the pastor over the wails of wee little ones because my nephew, Carson, will be with us for the service. If it were not for the whole drinking and driving (especially with young children in the car) I would opt for some Egg Nog prior to the service. Alas, I will just have to have a big bottle of red waiting upon our return home. I look forward to the day we can return to the beautiful candlelight service with the sane people. But, when that day comes, I am sure my heart will ache because I will miss the days of singing Silent Night while holding my baby in my arms.
We will spend Christmas Day at my sister’s house in Cedar Park. Mike’s parents will arrive that evening just in time to wish Mike a Happy Birthday. We will formally celebrate Mike’s birthday when his sister Amy and her family (husband Phil and my three amazing nieces, Emily (age 10), Anna (age 8) and Melissa (age 3) arrive on the 26th from Michigan. We will have the full turkey dinner and top it off with birthday cake in honor of baby Jesus’ birth and Mike’s too! Do you think people born on Christmas Day have a superiority complex? Or, is that just me? Just kidding, honey. You know I love you. And, you are superior in my book. An amazing husband, dad, son, uncle and CPA! We could not ask for more.
Mike’s family will be with us through New Year’s Eve. We plan to show them as much of Austin as possible – including our incredible BBQ and Mexican food. Yum! Yum!
So that's it folks -- the Kelley Family Christmas in a nutshell. We are hoping for a little less craziness than depicted in the movie Christmas Vacation. I think as long as no long-lost cousins arrive in an RV, we will be fine.
As you know, we decided not to send out Christmas cards this year in an effort to cut down on stress associated with the holiday season. Please accept our sincere wishes for a wonderful holiday surrounded by those you love and that love you. May you all know the joy of a Christ-centered Christmas. We thank you for your love and friendship throughout the year and we wish you all the best in 2008!
With love,
The Kelley Family
