John and I would just like to take a minute and say Merry Christmas to everyone back in the States. We hope you all take a minute or two or three this holiday season to realized how very blessed you are, how great God is, and what a miracle His Son is for each of us.
To me, Christmas is a time to celebrate the gift Christ's birth and to celebrate the life that I have because of that gift. Christmas is a time of traditions, of love, of showing those around you how much you love them. Many people today say that Christmas is too commercial- and in some ways it is. But to me, Christmas is when I give back. It is a time when I can, if you will, pay forward the blessing that Christ gave me with his birth by loving those around me and loving those that come into my path. So, the aspects of Christmas that can be called commercial- gift buying, the baking, the decorating- are all the ways that I show I care.
So, this Christmas, if you feel like everything is commercial and unfeeling or that everyone has forgotten the true meaning of Christmas, remember that God gave us the gift of His Son not so that we can hold onto it for dear life- but so we can share the gift with everyone.
What a great weekend! John and I have been bums for the past few weekends and it was driving me crazy. So, this weekend we stayed quite busy. First off, John got a hair cut. He really needed it- looked like he had a small animal growing on his head. (He looks like my hubby again now..) After his haircut, we headed into Nice for the Christmas market. It reminded me of all the craft fairs in the states around the holidays- only this one sold hot wine, beer, and lots of cheese. Oh the hot wine- so very tasty. I know, you are probably thinking that sounds disgusting, but don't knock it til you try it. John was also very impressed with the Christmas beer, which is saying a lot since most beer in France he, ah, hasn't thought very much of at all. After we wandered around the market, bought some Christmas ornaments and sausage, we headed out to buy our Christmas tree.
Honestly, we don't have room for a Christmas tree in our tiny apartment, but since we didn't have a tree last year in the states I had to have something Christmas-y in the apartment this year. At the garden center we just kept looking for the perfect tree and finally found him. "Nick" (after Saint Nick) the Christmas tree is about one foot tall, complete with tiny decorations including a homemade star and wine glass identifiers- perfect size for our tree. Now it feels like Christmas!
