Today is Christmas

To me Christmas is about Love, the love of God for us, the love he wants us to experience and share with each other. For me Christmas is not just one day, it is whatever day we are together as a family, and today I am not with my family. I sent my husband and son to Topeka to be with my Bartel family there, but I have to work. I think once I am at work I will enjoy taking care of my patients on Christmas day, what an amazing Christmas present for them, a new family member to share their love with. Right now though I am just a little bit on the melancholy side.

This year I haven't really felt like I can get into the Christmas spirit yet. We didn't decorate our house because we are still in the middle of remodeling and painting and everything is a mess. Today though while I wait to go to work I am putting on some of my favorite Christmas music, all on tapes from my childhood! I have Emmy Lou Harris, John Denver and the Muppet's, and Mannheim Steamroller. Hearing this music that we listened to when I was a child reminds me of so many fun traditions. I love the 12 days of Christmas song with the Muppet's when each time around Miss Piggy gets more wild! We used to watch the Muppet Christmas Carol on VHS too! Emmy Lou was always my favorite with her beautiful long hair. I am amazed at how good the quality of these old tapes still is!

Yesterday Luke and I watched the Christmas Carol (not the Muppet one, the Ralphie one). I used to hate that movie, but Ben and Becca loved it and so I grew to love it because of them I think. Greg didn't grow up with it and he hates it!

My sister and her husband don't get to come home until the middle of January and my brother and his wife are spending Christmas this year in Canada too, so we won't really celebrate with the Bartels or my family until they are here. The Regiers will have Christmas on the 27th and then we will be heading to Indiana to celebrate with Greg's family. I think by then I will definitely be more in the Christmas spirit. Just sitting here writing about Christmas and listening to music has already got me feeling more like Christmas.

Well, I need to get ready for work. Lots of love and Merry Christmas, especially to those of you far away from family!
~Laura