Views of Christmas 2013 for my family

Happy New Year from Brittany, Julieanne, Elmer, and Kelsi!

    You've probably been so busy the last two weeks that you didn't even miss me. 

    But in case you haven't noticed, I took the last couple of weeks off to focus more on spending time with my family.  It was so worth it! 

    I missed visiting with you all here.  December was a very busy month for my family, filled with preparations for Christmas, Kelsi's 16th birthday, our 19th wedding anniversary, Brittany's 3rd annual Christmas party that we host, and many music concerts in which the girls were either singing or playing instruments.

    Here's a quick recap of the month of December for the Miller family:

Freak snowstorm . . . and very cold weather for two weeks:

    For some reason, the area in which we live rarely gets snow.  When it snows one inch overnight, it's a "snowstorm" to us!  ☺  Not only did we have some beautiful snow, but it got down into the teens.  Day after day, the snow hung on and was so beautiful!

    My husband does such a wonderful job at hanging up Christmas lights and decorations outside our home.  I love it!

Our Kelsi turns 16!

    Kelsi, our oldest daughter, turned 16 in December.  She is such a treasure to us.  She is smart, funny, loves to learn, is talented on the violin, enjoys graphic design and Photoshop, is an excellent teacher, works well with children, follows Christ wholeheartedly, and is just overall such a delight to us. 

    I plan to show you more of her 16th birthday party soon!

Annual Gingerbread House decorating:

Brittany's house ~ Kelsi's house

    When our girls were around ages 4 and 6, I brought home some gingerbread houses for them to ice and decorate on Thanksgiving evening.  At some point in late November or early December each year since that time, the girls decorate gingerbread houses.  This is an annual event in our home that has been going on for 10 years now!  :)  I love seeing the variety of creativity in their finished houses.

Kelsi's Gingerbread House:

Click to see larger versions of these photos.

Brittany's Gingerbread House:

Brittany's Teen Christmas Party!

     Yeah, we're a bit crazy here...to host a teen girls' Christmas party and sleepover every year, in the midst of everything else that goes on during the month of December.  But this has been an annual event for Brittany, our 13-year-old creativity queen, and I hope that if you have teens or know teens in your neighborhood or church, you'll consider hosting a teen Christmas party of your own some time.  Fun!

Christmas Eve worship service at church:

    Kelsi, our 16-year-old, delights us each Christmas Eve with a violin solo at our Christmas Eve worship service at church.  It's such a thrill to hear her play!  It brings tears to my eyes.  I wish you could hear her.

Kelsi and Brittany with some of their younger music students

Kelsi, our friend Marge, and Brittany

Christmas celebration in our home:

    After our Christmas Eve worship service at the church we attend, we come home with my parents and our friend, Marge, and enjoy some quiet, contemplative time together.

    My mom or I set out Christmas sweets and eggnog or sparkling cider for everyone to enjoy while we either read the Christmas story about the birth of Christ from the book of Luke in the Bible, or we read through Helen Steiner Rice's poem called, The Christmas Guest.

My husband's peanut butter fudge and chocolate fudge; my Christmas fruitcake.

My mom, dad, and Kelsi

...and of course, the crackling fireplace makes the evening seem even more warm and cozy.  It is a special time of family memories and traditions that we repeat year after year.  I'm so thankful for my family!

    I pray that your Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations provided you with some new, delightful memories for you to treasure.  I look forward to celebrating Christ's birth every year...and celebrating His birth every day of the following year, as I should.  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 

---