Christmas Wish List

Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday! I love gathering with family and friends...anytime you can get a bunch of Hamans together in the same house and not have issues, you have accomplished something. The Hamans produce so much drama that I'm convinced our family originated from Hollywood! In fact, I think my dad has been nominated for several academy awards only to be edged out by my mom...just teasing, my parents are the best!

Last weekend we traveled to Houston to celebrate Christmas at my sister's house. Don't you just love holiday traffic? Isn't it fun how a 4 and 1/2 hour trip can be stretched into 7! Throw in 2 small kids, 1 strong will, and an overactive bladder and we're talking some serious joy to the world!! The trip was treacherous, but the weekend experience was well-worth the inconvenience. We stayed up late, ate, talked, ate some more, watched movies, ate a little bit more, watched the kids open presents, ate again, played ping pong, snacked, went to the symphony, and got hungry!!

Reconnecting with family that is so spread out was like oxygen to my soul! The only way to improve our celebration would be to have Rebekah, my younger sister from Denver, there. The opportunity to slow down, do some personal inventory at the end of the year, and take stock of the blessings and goodness of God is an absolute must.

For me, the highlight of this Christmas season came as a complete surprise. During our grueling 7 hour journey across I-10 to Houston, Alexa (my 2nd grader) read us an entry from her class journal. Everyday, the students write in their little booklets. Her assignment, that day, was to describe her Christmas wish for the world. She wrote: "My Christmas wish for the world would be for everybody to ask Jesus to come into their hearts and go to church. I wish that all the families who suffered during Hurricane Katrina would have homes to live in. I wish that everyone could have at least 1 dog, and that everyone would stop littering."

Does it get any better? What did I ever do to deserve such wonderful kids! This Christmas, do your best to see the world through eyes of innocence, hope, joy, and faith.