With any holiday, it’s not so much the holiday itself or what it’s “supposed” to mean. It’s always been us-coming-together that’s excited me.

Every Thanksgiving, Katie and I run the 5K downtown and, then, spend the rest of the day with Kyle. Kyle’s so funny! He really doesn’t want to ruin his appetite, so every year, he waits until all the foods done to eat. (And every year, I forget, and he ends up starving for a while.)

Every Halloween, Carolyn and Nathan dress up, we go trick-or-treating, and spend the rest of the evening eating candy.

Every Easter, we take turns hiding Easter eggs inside the house. All of us wait in the bedroom, while one hides the eggs. Sometimes, this takes hours.

Every Fourth of July, we go somewhere to watch fireworks.

And every Christmas, we look forward to getting the tree because the kids have a tradition of running around playing tag within the trees, which usually takes over an hour, and every Christmas Eve, the kids sleep in my room, so we can all wake up together.

And this Christmas is going to be the best.

For a few years now, Carolyn and Nathan’s dad’s been coming over on Christmas morning to spend it with us, and this year, Kyle and Katie’s dad will be here, too, so I get to spend Christmas morning with all my kids and their dads!!

To some, that wouldn’t be exciting, and that makes me sad. I don’t always understand when divorced parents aren’t friends. It’s so good for the kids (and for us) that we all get along. It’s just so good!

Anyway, we don’t focus on the controversies or the end of the world coming or anything else. We spend quality time together and receive each other’s love. God amazes us every day, and every day, I’m so grateful for Jesus!

Without Him, nothing would be possible, and with Him, nothing is impossible for us. Merry Christmas!