Love/Hate Relationship.

  I believe I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas, and winter.  
  I love Christmas for the fact I get to visit my family that I haven't seen most of the year or at least since summer.  I hate that the roads are yucky and sometimes scary this time of year and my beloved family is traveling on them.
  I love giving gifts to people.   I hate that gifts often take away from the real reason why we are celebrating in the first place.  If I had it my way there would be no presents on Christmas, the big spending and hoopla would be on your Birthday!!
  I love all the good food, and baked goods.  I hate that how I feel when I eat to much of the yummy, yummy food!!
  I hate being cold, I hate keeping the fire going (which reminds me I need to run and put wood in the furnace!).
  I love how quiet it gets outside at night when everything is covered in white.  It looks so beautiful that I forget that it's cold out and I just stand and stare.  The stars are even brighter and time disappears.
  I love that the kids have so much fun out there, building snow forts and snowmen.  I hate that 3 out of 4 of them never seem to remember to knock the snow off outside or hang up wet stuff! GRRRR!   But they do play nicely (mostly) for hours. 
  I hate that the kids are always thinking about what they want, well the younger ones anyway.  I haven't heard much about it from the older two.   I love that they are old enough to shop for and think about, what the person they are buying for would like.
   I hate that the stores are crowded with people.  It makes grocery shopping a pain.  I love that Ten Thousand Villages is open this weekend and so is the Farmers Market fair. 
  
   I am thankful for the true meaning of Christmas, above all the hoopla (my new word of the day).   
That true meaning being the Creator of Heaven and Earth gave His only Son to pay the way for us to be reconciled to Him.  Christmas celebrates His birth, but really it's about the Cross.  And I can't leave it there, cause He didn't stay on the Cross, no He didn't.  He rose up from the dead to sit at the right hand of God, preparing a place for those who will follow Him.  That is what Christmas is truly for, to remember what He gave, and remember why we're here.