Here come the Christmas Bells.

I love Cristmas carols. There I said it and it didn't even hurt. However when I hear them I get all teary eyed and sometimes sob.I cried today just trying to sing along with a Walmart commercial. I guess it's because I remember all my childhood. We were not a wealthy family growing up, much like my own household now, but oh the excitement I always felt around the Holidays! I am excited to teach my children the meaning of Christmas. We enjoy decorating our tree the first week of December. My children know that we always get a tree because Jesus died on a cross for us. We have what I would call a minimalist gift exchange. At home we get each child 2-3 gifts and normally my mother in law stuffs their stockings. We have our coffee and cinnamon rolls and take turns opening one gift at a time. It seems to build excitement, and you feel good being able to watch someone open the gift you bought or made them. The kids are happy and we are happy knowing that we are helping our kids to not depend on materialism for happiness. Throw all that into the fact that we don't have the money to blow and it makes for a good Christmas. I always read the Christmas story to our kids and this past year my husband actually read it from the Bible. When I was little my mom would allow each of us one gift to shake, gently to see if we could guess what it was. Ofcourse we never did get it right, but it was just the magic of the season. My mom would set out her fancy candy dish and fill it up with hard candy and chocolate covered cherries. My Dad would sit and crack nuts for us kids to munch on, which we now do for our own kids. I want them to remember the family time not what they got for Christmas. So as the Holiday Season unfolds I wish you all a wonderful one filled with laughter, love, and no debt.