It's the most wonderful time of the year!!

Today, I am going with Katie to Jeffersonville. As of 6:21am on Monday October 20th Jon and I have the "major" Christmas gifts bought and paid for. My plan today is to buy for nieces, Mom, Carolina, Kay, Anne and possibly teachers. I've started shopping for Christmas this early before, just never so aggressively. I have to say it's awesome. I don't think I've ever been quite so excited for Christmas quite this early in the year before. Jon and I talked about if for awhile last night and it's AMAZING how lighthearted we feel about it. I never realized until yesterday just how STRESSFUL giftgiving makes Christmas. I don't think it should be like that. It's such a paradox...I understand the desire to GIVE when we are celebrating the GREATEST Gift ever given. How it must grieve God to see us scurry about scared and nervous and stressed and in debt in a mockery of homage. On the other hand... minus the stress I'm having a marvelous gift giving experience this year. I think maybe this is how it should be. Maybe part of the problem is the need to impress with gifts rather than show love and appreciation. This year we will not IMPRESS you with our gifts, we will not spend more than we have, we will not LOSE OUR FOCUS ON THE ONE TRUE GIFT that we are celebrating!! We're going to get all this shopping done early (with every effort to choose gifts that will show you all that we love and appreciate you) then we will spend the month of December as a family growing in Christ and thankful for the Gift of salvation that we can mimic with our gifts but never duplicate!! May the Christmas Season officially begin...Happy shopping everyone!