i heart christmas

I've been trying to find ways to keep our Christmas Christ centered. So I found this book and luckily was able to get it in about three minutes with the nook version. Very cool.
Anyway, we haven't made it very far...usually when I try to have a nice quite Jesus centered reading with the children, it usually ends up with one of us throwing something across the room or someone running off through the hills...there is an occasional door slam and Penelope has been throwing around the "I hate you, Mom" a lot. More often than not, I feel like a Scrooge rather than a Linus. Add to that, we've had a continual flow of sickness (we are on pinkeye right now) and Lucy has decided that this week is the week she will start cutting molars.

But I still try.

So, back to the book. The first thing the author write about is the Advent Wreath; and despite my having gone to church for most of my life, I didn't really understand the symbolism. Quite frankly, I was always confused as to why the Advent wreath donned pink and purple candles when the Christmas color scheme is clearly red and green.

Quick summary:

1st purple candle= Prophecy/Hope
2nd purple candle= Bethlehem/Peace
pink candle= Shepherd/Joy
3rd purple candle=Angle/Love
White=Christ

So, we've been learning that, and it's actually working. I still am not sure about why the purple and pink color choices.

In effort to provide a visual I knew I had to actually get a wreath. Easier said than done....pink and purple candles are hard to come by this time of year. But I found some at the dollar store for .99, put them on a cake plate and added a $3 garland from Michael's left over spray painted foliage from Thanksgiving and voila!.....





go ahead, pin it, you know you want to.

*****

Last night I had the urge to go see some crazy lights. So the kids dressed in their jammies and we piled in the car for an after dark search for lights. That in itself was quite the adventure.



We might do that again just for kicks. Much to my dismay, there weren't very many crazy lights to be found. There were these:



and a few others, but the main attraction was by far, the moon, who followed us around begging to be photographed....only I still am working on how to get a perfect moon shot on the go, but the moon, magnificent magic moon, she delivered.



And besides the moon, I kind of think the best light show is right in our living room.





(P.S. There's a great giveaway at the BabyGuyGearGuide.com check it out. )