Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

lent his ear this way. This afternoon Santa Claus came to the bank to do some business! It was such a delight. He was happy and endearing. My face must have lit up when I saw him. I greeted him with a very happy "Hi, Santa!" He grinned and called me a nice young lady. I think that means no coal for me. I was so flustered by his sudden appearance, that I messed up his transaction. Oh, well. He knew that I was excited to see him.

We purchased our yearly Christmas book last night. After searching through many magical books full of Christmas wonder, we decided on "Christmas Day in the Morning." It is a sweet little story by the very accomplished Pearl Buck. I am very pleased to add it to our collection.

I'll be spending the next few days at home baking, wrapping, and being joyful. I hope everyone has a lovely and happy Christmas!

Feeling Sentimental

Maybe it's the lights on the tree. Maybe it's all the Hallmark movies. All I know is that it's been an emotional couple weeks for me. This time of year is a roller coaster for a lot of people. I'm unsure why that's so for me. For the three years Kyle and I were dating, I was always utterly devastated at the idea of leaving him for a month while we were on break from school. As of last year, my sadness was replaced with the pure joy of not having to part ways. I am so thankful for him and for the love God has given us to share. I get to share my life with this wonderful man!

I've been wrapping Christmas presents all day. I feel so grateful for all that we've been given and all that we can give. I am glad that we have a church and friends that remind us to keep a holy perspective this time of year.