Christmas has ALWAYS stressed me out..that is until the last few years. I have always been one to strive to provide the perfect holiday for my family, the perfect toy for the kids, and the perfect dining experience for my guests. Even after years of trying, and still burning something, the gift not being the right color, and one string of lights right in the middle of the tree burning out, I still tried. It wasn’t until recent years that I realized that noone else really expected me to give perfect performances or dinner parties either and I started to cut myself some slack. Sometimes, Christmas doesn’t include snow, the perfect ham glaze, and sometimes, Christmas is spent in a quiet NICU room. It all boils down to that baby Jesus – the one with skin on- that came here to save us from our own imperfections. I have many, and I’m glad God felt compassion enough to rescue me from them. If you come to my home over Christmas, I will still try my best for the best-ever meal and the cutest decor, but I won’t be having a heart attack over the burnt out string of lights any more. (Just don’t point them out to me-I already know!)

Without the Christmas season, we don’t have an Easter resurrection.