Day 97: Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day.

Day 62: The Easter Bunny

Happy Easter!
This bunny showed up just at the right time. Right after I showed the kids the bunny, one of them found an egg in the house. Oh my, the commotion! But now they believe that they have seen the Easter bunny. I am not telling them.....

Day 61: Easter celebration continued

Every year, our Church put on an Easter celebration with tons of fun for the kids in our church and our community. There are little games, bounce houses, rides, and we even had a laser tag this year. It's a big production and the kids are looking forward to it. We had fun and Peanut even let them do a face painting on her - something my kids have not enjoyed in the past. She was quite proud of the butterfly and wore it all day. Happy Easter.

Day 60: Good Friday

We celebrated today's day by not having an official school day, by playing with friends in the park in the morning, and by having a dinner celebration with friends. The kids had their own table (and so did the adults - hallelujah!). So they all dressed up nicely. I love when these kids do their own prayers in their sweet little voices, it's so precious. We had a fantastic time worshiping and eating. Thank you, friends, for having us over.

And thank you, Jesus, for going on that cross knowingly what would happen to you. Thank you, God, for your almighty power conquering death and giving us the gift of eternal life. It was a sad day so many thousands of years ago, but in just three days, we will celebrate even more because of Jesus' resurrection. Praise the Lord.

Columbus, Columbus, sailed across the sea....

..... And found a very special land
That belongs to you and me.

Columbus,Columbus,we celebrate your day,
In fourteen hundred and ninety-two
When you sailed our way.

(you have to sing this to the tune of "sailing, sailing"!)

Well, on a certain Monday a few weeks ago (yes, I am very behind with my blog posts!), we celebrated a special day in honor of a special man. So we took the opportunity to get some history lesson into our curriculum. Our themed week was all about Christopher Columbus.

We went to the library but couldn't find many (or any) books on him - either they didn't have any or they were all gone by the time we got there. So we had to do without a major story. But the internet is a wonderful place for resources, we did without it.

On Friday, we got together and the kids had to present their lapbooks to each other. It is always such a 'battle' to fight who presents first.... Coqui got to go first.....

I am always surprised how much Coqui retains in his little brain. He still has trouble reading some of the stuff, but he is getting better at it. And most of all, we have fun doing it.

A pregnancy update on 33 weeks

It has been some time since my last update on the pregnancy - so what has happened since my last post back in late March? By the way, we are now 33 weeks and 2 days along.

Well, the belly grew some more, and so did the baby. Carrier, Baby and Mami are doing great. Daddies and the other kids are doing fine, too. There is some excitement in the air, especially in our family, as the kids have really gotten the message of another member joining us soon. I am very impressed on how much Peanut gets about this entire process - maybe because she is a girl and naturally seems more drawn to babies in general, or maybe because she feels spiritually connected to this baby because they both enter this world the same way - through two amazing women that selflessly were willing to give this beautiful gift.

The other day, Beth was coming to our house with her son, and Peanut 'corrected' me that Miss Beth is not only bringing her own son but also bringing the baby! Well, yes, she is right! We talk about it constantly, we pray with the kids for the baby, and we are celebrating in many ways. Not a day goes by that this baby is not mentioned. So we are really ready to welcome it into our family!

As of this weekend, the baby was over four pounds heavy, and reached the 17 inch mark (in length). The bones are getting stronger - YES, we can feel that! And it is a m-o-v-e-r! I can feel it, many times, swooshing around the belly, kicking me with hands and feet, showing off it's buttocks, and yes, it doesn't like to be poked too much. It is very active at night, so when I DO get to see Beth in the evening, it is like a party in her belly...... it's really cool to watch and to feel.

Things have been going great. We are truly able to enjoy the pregnancy together and are celebrating the whole process. We made the effort to 'make it work for us' and it has helped me heal SO much. We are taking full advantage of every aspect of this pregnancy - knowing that this is (probably) the last one for both of us. We share the ups and downs, of which there are many ups (and so few downs these days!), we go to the medical appointments together, and we take many pictures, we celebrate the many countdowns and are now on the home stretch. We are looking forward to the shared birth of this precious little one, and to a new 'normal' of our friendship that was forever changed.

I am truly treated as a mother-to-be, and it is awesome to be recognized this way - it's like being pampered without being pregnant. And I am very thankful to all our family and friends who have supported us throughout this process. I am thankful for the many people that have prayed with us, over us, and are still praying for a continuous smooth ride. I have learned alot about myself, about Beth, and about our friends around us. When I was vulnerable, I was greeted with love and understanding, with support and care. It was a learning experience for so many involved and it is awesome to see God work in all of us. It's amazing, rewarding, and God truly deserves all the glory for this.

Holidays can be tricky - at least for me, and only regarding the fact that our family is 'missing' a member. I don't want to dwell in that place, and really, I have been blessed that Christmas was the only holiday that I was not able to be around the baby. We did get to spend Thanksgiving, Easter, and now Mother's day with and around Beth and the baby. So yesterday, I could take a picture with ALL my children.....

It was a happy day, and I felt so blessed by what God has given me.

Happy Mother's Day to all moms and mommies-to-be!

Happy Valentine's Day

Well, I believe that Valentine's Day is NOT just for couples, I actually believe that this day is about any love: the love for our parents, our children, our friends. But most of all, it is about the love for our God. So I just wanted to share a few scriptures with you that are so encouraging, no matter where you are in your life, believer or non-believer, baby Christian or the Rock in the storm. We are all God's children and He loves us ALL equally, unconditionally, and with such a passion that just blows you away when you realize it....

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)
(because God IS love.)

"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands." (Deuteronomy 7:9)

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) 

"The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." (Jeremiah 31:3)

"Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings."  (Psalms 36:5-7)

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18) 

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose for them." Romans 8:28)

I hope that you find someone, today, to share some love and kindness with. Also, I hope that you will receive some love from someone else. Kindness can go a long way - I know that from personal experience. Lately, I have been blessed by showers of love, mercy, grace, kindness, forgiveness, and acceptance. It feels so great!

Adventszeit, schoenste Zeit

Translated that means that the time before Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.

So Christmas is my second favorite holiday, right after my birthday. Okay, all kidding aside, Christmas is a wonderful time and every year, I am enjoying everything about it, the music, the smells, the anticipation. But most of all, I have come to appreciate it as the celebration of the birth of our Savior.

So tomorrow is the first day of December - do you know what that means? My children do! They get to open the first window on their advent calendar. This is a part that I remember so vividly from when I was a child that I don't want my kids to miss out on it.

This year, we are going with the Playmobil one. It's the forest theme - which I thought was great for boy and girl. I only have one, so they have to share it. Each window has a toy that will be added to the scenery that came with the package.

I am a big fan of Playmobil and so is Coqui. Peanut is still a bit too young for most the pieces, but I hope that she will grow accustomed to it fast. At the end, we will have a nice collection of forest animals and their winter food.


Of course, slowly, we are decorating our house for the occasion. I pulled out all the boxes, but I have not have time to put it all up yet. But this weekend, we will buy the tree and decorate it. And I want to finish everything else, so I can do other things, like shopping and making cookies.
Here are a few pictures from the stuff that is out already. Of course, we are playing LOTS of Christmas music, in English, German and Spanish - a very interesting, cultural mix.
Most of all, I want to show off our stockings, because they are FIVE this year! Yeah.

Eventual, the baby will get it's own hanger, but I need to make a trip to a certain store for that. Can you tell that I have an oldest-one that is obsessed with trains? 

 This is Coqui's room. It's the most decorated so far - he is just way too excited! He also has a candy cane on his window, and those lights that look like candles. It's so bright in there at night that I can read his good-night stories without turning on the room light.

 My German 'Pyramide' that Mema had found for me one year. I totally love it.

Merry Christmas.

Blessed Thanksgiving

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"  (1 John 3:1) 
Father, I pray that my life would be a living testimony of the fact that You have lavished Your love on me by making me Your child. Might everything I think, say and do today be shaped by this glorious fact. In Jesus' name. AMEN
 
So Thanksgiving is over and yet, I want to be thankful. Do I need a special day to be reminding to be thankful? No, I don't. I am thankful every single day.

I have so much to be thankful for, so I thought I mentioned it here:
I am thankful for:
- a God that has a never-ending love for me and that just blows me away
- a loving and carrying husband that walks by my side no matter what trials life has for us
- 5 wonderful children - 2 are already with out heavenly Father, 2 are right here with me now, and 1 is on it's way - they are ALL blessings to me!
- my parents who raised me
- the Hubby's family that took me in like their own daughter
- awesome friends that love us and that we enjoy spending time with
like on Thanksgiving Day:

Still, there is more. I am thankful for:
- Heather, the woman who carried our daughter - she gave up so much to help us make our wish come true, we will be forever thankful for what she did, and we love her and her family very much
- my best friend who replaced a big emptiness in my life - she is the person that I will call when I need advise, support or just simply girl-talk, I can not think of my life without her
- that same best friend that is carrying our last baby now - she followed God's calling and we are so thankful for her and her family
- for healthy children
- to be cancer-free and feeling great
- for all the material things we have like a house and cars and other things - they are not that important but make life easier and enjoyable.

The Lord has been good to us, to Him goes all the glory!

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." (1Chronicles 16:34)

Field Trip with the HS group

A bit more than a week ago, we went on a Field Trip with one of our homeschooling groups. I was hesitant at first, but the kids really had a blast. The entire farm was decorated for fall and the harvest and it was fun to finally get into the spirit of autumn. (it's so hard when it still hits the 90s in the afternoon)

So we met everybody at the farm there, or actually what we thought was our group. I only met a few of the moms one other time, and usually I am pretty good with faces, but we went with the group we had found. At first. Because as it turns out, for half the time, we went around the farm with the wrong group. But one that had a tour guide and seemed quite organized. So it was good.

So here are a few pictures: 

There was this author who had written a children's book, so she read it to the children. This was not the only story time they had - we heard many pumpkin stories that day!

For me, the hay ride was the highlight of the day. It was fun to be rocked through the farmland, feeling the breeze in my face and laugh with the kids. There was a 'scary path' included in the ride, but I just told them that it was silly stuff, like seeing a ghost in a toilet. I didn't want Peanut to be too freaked out about it.

We walked through a corn maze and then the kids played ball, waiting for another hay ride to pick us up at this picnic area.

It was a fun filled day!

Family Time and Easter

My parents were in town for two weeks. And they left today - actually they are in the air right now, to another American airport where they switch into an aircraft that will carry them across the ocean..... it will be a long day for them. So I am praying for safe travels.

For us, it means an empty house! For a few days, until the other grandma comes to town.

So I am back to the blogging world and I have a few posts in mind.

How was our Easter? Well, not as religious as we are used to. Having my parents around is not always easy, especially because they are not Christians, and hate the fact that I am one. But I don't want to get too much into that in this post, because I think, no matter what, they actually did pretty good this time. Not too much fighting and the kids were great with them. I still got a ton of (unwanted) advise of how to live my life, but I can shut my ears and brain off while they are being brought up....

We did our family Easter hunt on Saturday. Yes, only Easter hunt, because most of the stuff were gifts not just eggs. We hid our stuff in the backyard, and my parents hid their stuff inside the house. Coqui had a great time hunting and Peanut was just Miss Observer. I don't do Easter baskets because, personally, I think it's boring. When I was a kid, we had to 'hunt' for all our stuff in my grandpa's garden. It was fun and I have some fond memories of it (as well as some goofy pictures that I won't show here!).  We went out to eat for lunch and made a special dinner at night. On Sunday, we went to church and after church, they had an Easter egg hunt for the kids there. Those eggs contained candy, and Coqui did get quite a lot of those. The Hubby took off from work on Monday and Tuesday, so he could spend some time with us all. We didn't do anything special but hanging around the house due to the kids being sick.... but it was relaxing, and he needed it.

So we had fun and created some memories for the kids - I believe that is the most important. Hope you all had a great Easter as well. I will post some pictures soon....

Major Milestone

I ran a 10K this morning! Yeah....

Could it be? It is a major distance for me as I have never done so before. How awesome!

Or not! Because I did not even get to run at all.

Got you! Fooled you!

Do you want to know why? Well, there is a major milestone, but I guess it's nothing to be real happy about. Peanut came down with a fever last night and we actually had a terrible night with her. She had runny noses before, but never such a high fever - so that's our first! And I think for a 19-months old that is not too bad.... I mean to live for nineteen months and never have a high fever.

She did not sleep well at all, kept waking up at all hours of the night. Sometimes we had to go in there and comfort her, sometimes she fell back asleep without assistance. But nonetheless, there was absolutely NO way for me to go running this morning. I was just too tired.

So the 10K will be for another time....

Happy April Fool's Day.


PS: She is doing much better this morning, less hot and is playing with big brother.. That is always a good sign. I hope she will take a good nap and we will be over with this soon....

I wrote this post this morning at around 8:30 am - Peanut just fell asleep at the lunch table - that was another first for us today! She is in her bed now, taking a much needed nap (11:40 am).

Another After-Note:
It was a tough day yesterday. After her nap, which was interrupted once for half an hour, she was less hot but soooooo whinny! It is was awful afternoon, followed by a very early bedtime. She slept for over twelve hours and guess what - this morning, no signs of what happened yesterday. No fever, all the appetite is back - no idea what that was!

Ladies Tea @ church

I have been very busy these last couple of weeks.... and for a good reason.
This past Saturday morning, something special took place at our local church. It was organized by the ladies from the Woman's ministry. A Ladies Tea - to bless our lovely girls and their girlfriends...

And here are the pictures - all the tables looked fantastic:

We even had singers, a testimony, and a play during the tea. I believe all the ladies had fun and were abundantly blessed to be there.

I loved doing the frames. It was a challenge and it turned out so beautifully. I am kind of proud.... Also I loved being a table hostess - it was fun planning it, decorating it, and serving the girls on our table.

Baby Steps

I have a confession to make.

I have a comfort zone. Surprise!!! Yeah, and my comfort zone is called my home. I don't like invaders, I don't like it being disorganized. God, it is hard enough to have children that run all over the place and spill things, break things, and put things in disorder.

I always preferred going to other people's houses than having someone over in mine. So my comfort zone would never ever have someone in my house. How realistic is that? Not really. I mean I don't want to become a hermit and die alone. That wouldn't be healthy, and I don't want it. I want to break out of the box and overcome whatever fears I have. Face them and run them down. Live my life to the fullest.And isn't there a saying that "Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half...", or something like that? Well, I rather share my fear with my friends and family, than being on my own.

That said, how do I survive play dates? Good question because I have a hard time with that. I would prefer to never have to have them at my house. Because adding to the disaster of my own two children breaking things, now other kids come and break things, spill food or drinks, and do things that I would 'kill' my kids for! Right? Well, I have learned that setting boundaries with my friends helps to keep the chaos at bay. Also, leaving just a few toys out rather than every single one, helps to keep the mess controllable.

I can do family dinners. I can - if I don't have to cook!?! Just kidding, it intimidates me actually. But I have stepped out for that, and survived. Yes, it is a big deal to me.

But bigger parties still scare the living Jesus out of me! They do. An uncontrollable amount of people in my house, running around with food in their hands.... aaaaah! So scary.

I have to step out of my comfort zone! I think it’s important to test my boundaries from time to time. Because without exploring, there will be no growth or life experience. Right? Trying something different may feel awkward, but it could turn into an enjoyable experience.

Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9 (NASB))

I have to push the limits of my comfort zone BECAUSE I love my friends and want to surround myself with their company. Cancer taught me something! I don't want to die alone! Nope. Not at all.
So I have had my own baby shower at my house. Wow, was I scared. I did not have to throw it, my lovely friend did all the work for me. But we had the girls in the house, and kids! With food and drinks. And guess what? Barely anything was spilled, the carpet stayed completely clean. I was impressed. And now feel so much more confident.

Then I was invited to a few parties were I had to bring my own food. You mean I have to cook for someone else? Oh, that is a challenge for me. Not only because most people don't eat what I eat, and then I am not confident enough to know if they like what I make and how I make it. BUT I got alot of positive feedback. Someone actually asked me for one of the recipes. I was blown away! Being human, I am thriving on that positiveness, and got more courageous. Now I am much less scared to share my dishes with others. And if they don't like one, it won't be the end of the world (anymore).

Now I am about to throw a baby shower for a friend. And I am scared! But it is a step into the RIGHT direction. To get over this fear I have. I want to reach out and bless my friend! One baby step at a time.

And if anything goes wrong, I have God who will help me through the crisis. I have friends who will help me to clean up the mess. I will be blessed to have all the fun and joy around me. I won't be alone. And I think that I will be blessed.

No news, good news?

I know I haven't been here for a little while. Well, there are multiple reasons for that.

First of all, it was Christmas and Christmas is about Jesus and family and friends, and not (!) about the computer or the internet and all its inviting websites and virtual acquaintances. So I enjoyed being at home, with the hubby, having his family here and going to Christmas parties and going to church. We had a very nice Christmas Eve service with candle light, the kids were read the Christmas story up front by our pastor's wife - it was really nice. Christmas Morning was a huge success for the kids. And we got a huge surprise on Christmas day, when Tia was standing in front of the door. She said, when I opened the door, my face was 'priceless'. What I was thinking was more like: "what is she doing here? How did she get here? Who picked her up from the airport?" Because you know that she doesn't live around the corner, so for us to get unexpected visitors is a rarity. We were ALL very surprised, Coqui was beyond ecstatic, and Peanut, well she was not so sure at first, but warmed up pretty quickly.

And second of all, I have not many things to write about lately; call it writer's block. There are many things going on in my mind. Before the holidays, I was very involved with a dear friend who is going to go through a divorce. I was in the middle of all of it, and I was very surprised how much it affected me. I mean I couldn't sleep very well, I thought about it all the time, and I was fuming inside, for her. She went on vacation for the holidays, and it was kind of a blessing for me too, as I got a break in being right amid the tumult. It is normal to take sides when it's your friend, but this story has more to it, and maybe one day I will make an article out of it - that's how much it bothers me.

The other thing is very private, and actually surprising to me. Not long ago, I wrote here that I was over the whole jealousy-thing with other people getting pregnant. Well, I guess I wasn't. I mean I enjoyed my close friend's pregnancy, and some others that didn't bother me. But then, about two months ago, I learned that our carrier is pregnant; and it hit me again. I was not aware of it at first.... only just recently, when another friend announced their pregnancy, I had to admit to myself, that I was jealous again. I can not explain it. I can not. We were blessed with our children. But I think, it might be because I don't know what our number of children is suppose to be. One friend wrote a whole blog post about her number and that it's perfect for their family. A different friend wrote that they are what they call quiverful, meaning that they let God decide how many children they can handle (here is the blog post). A beautiful way to look at children as being a blessing. I agree. And I guess I feel like I have no say in it. Not that I do anyway - God is in control. But... yes, I am human, so there is a but.... It makes it all so much harder to have more kids than the natural way.... you know, enjoy your husband and nine months later there you are.... For me, it brings back all the 'bad' thoughts I had after the cancer diagnose and the resulting infertility.......
So I guess, I have to pray harder that God will either satisfy me with the number we have and 'kill' any desire for any more children. Or He has to send us another one and provide the finances.

So besides still having visitors in the house, and actually getting a break from the kids. And going shopping on my own! And running.  And having a phone conversation with old friends without being interrupted five million times. I am fine. I am loving my family. And I am thankful for what I have. If I put all things in prospective, I am truly blessed.

More Christmas preparations

The other day, Coqui and I worked on the Gingerbread houses - this year, we have a whole village. Last year, I believe we did a train, and the year before, it was a real house. I am actually glad, that innovative America comes out with new stuff every year. I took some pictures, but of course haven't had the time to work on them yet. So they will follow soon.

The other thing we did this morning was go and see Santa. We went to a not-so-local Cabela's where they bring in Santa for about three hours. We went early, so we wouldn't have to stand in line for hours, and guess what, there was practically no line at all. It was great. Peanut, of course, did not want to go near him - here is the picture of her pulling back. But Coqui had no such fear, jumped right on, and told him what he wants for Christmas - which is still the same: a motorcycle. Now I just wonder where he got that from??? Picture of today's event are here.

Happy Fourth Advent.

Cancelling Christmas

Yesterday, I wrote about all those lovely German Christmas traditions. Today, I have to report that I am ready to cancel Christmas - at least the commercial part of it.

I still want to celebrate the birth of Jesus! Totally. I mean that's why we are having it in the first place. But I am ready to tell the truth about Santa and his non-existence. I am ready to cancel ALL the gifts. It bugs me.

After behaving like an angel for about two weeks, Coqui is starting to lose it. He has been acting up the last few days and I can not explain where it comes from.

But maybe it is also the anticipation of his grandma to arrive - fearing she is overdoing it with the presents, again!?! She has been warned that we don't appreciate too many gifts. She has been told that this year will be a meager year for several reasons, I don't want to list here. So I am kind of dreading Christmas morning......

But please, you all out there, be merry and enjoy!!! I will try....

Our Germarican Christmas

As you know, our family consists of two parts, my German half and the hubby's Puerto Rican half. So we are celebrating a mixed Christmas. I guess an American Christmas.... But today, I want to tell you HOW I used to celebrate Christmas back home and what I miss most.

I read somewhere that Christmas is suppose to be considered by Germans as the most important holiday. (I only agree if you do NOT forget my birthday - because that is MY favorite holiday.) Truth be told, I think they are right, we Germans make quite a big fuss over it. I mean we don't have Thanksgiving in our way, so we can actually start 'getting ready' in early November! We put up real trees - and when I was younger, we put real candles on those real trees!!! Yeah, shocker! Well, for some reason my parents stopped doing that when we got older - can't explain that one. My favorite memory is singing with my mom ALL those Christmas songs and carols. I loved it, and we sang through book after booklet after sheet music.

The German holiday season is a time for family and friends - it is most definitely less consumption-oriented than over here in the states. Not only the holiday itself, but also the weeks leading up to the celebration of Christmas involve many traditions and customs.
There are those lovely the advents calendars - that by the way were invented in my home country. They can be store-bought or home-made. When I was young, I had lots of homemade ones, and I am definitely planning on making some for my kids.
Then there is the Advent -the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. We used to sit down as a family in the living room, Christmas music was playing, candles were burning, and we had tea and cookies or Stollen. Stollen is the oldest known German Christmas treat; it's a loaf-shaped cake containing dried fruit, and covered with sugar, or powdered sugar.
We put up Gingerbread houses, nativity scenes, hand-carved wooden Nutcracker figures, Christmas pyramids, and 'Schwippbogen' .The Advents Wreath is a wreath with four candles, one the first Advent only one candle burns, on the second two, on the third three and on the fourth all four candles are burning.

Schwippbogen

The one thing that I miss most about the Christmas season are the German Weihnachtsmaerkte, the Christmas markets. And any American attempt to recreation or copying has not worked - at least I have not found it yet. One can find those lovely markets pretty much in every German town, large or small, on the town squares. Vendors sell all kinds of goodies there, from hot mulled wine, to baked goods, to Christmas ornaments, or wooden toys. It is a blast. They play Christmas music over speakers, and the entire atmosphere just makes one jump into the season if you want it or not!

The last German tradition is the Nikolaus - but I mentioned that in this post: Nikolaustag.

So German children get their gifts already on Christmas Eve. I am not sure why? So I googled it. Here is what it said where it comes from - source is Wikipedia. They say this tradition began with the Reformation, so with Martin Luther. It says that he was of the opinion "that one should put the emphasis on Christ's birth and not on a saint's day and do away with the connotation that gifts have to be earned by good behavior". "The gifts should be seen as a symbol for the gift of God's grace in Christ".

I like it, or actually I used to like it until just recently. I was thinking about it and it makes so much more sense to have Santa Claus come overnight and open gifts, in PJs, on Christmas Day. Since I am a Christian, I love going to the evening service at church to celebrate Jesus' birth because that is what Christmas is really about. In the morning, we can do the gifts and all the commercialism that comes with the American Christmas...

Merry Christmas to all.