Merry Christmas!

I thought you might like a little glimpse into our world at the holidays. It is

hard to believe that Christmas time is upon us once again and that soon we

will be launching into 2017. Our 7 trees are up, the lights are lit, the house

is decorated, and our home is filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of

the season.

We love the Christmas season in the Wagner household as we

put our focus on Jesus. For us it is a time of celebration, family traditions,

and drawing close to one another. Here are a few of our favorite things…

The day after Thanksgiving we pick out two live Frasier Firs and get them

set up in our living room and great room. After I hang the lights, Molly and

the kids decorate the trees with our favorite ornaments. Each one of our

kids put small trees in their bedrooms and from December 1st-24th they

wake up to small gifts like candy, socks, or special treats under their trees.

Molly goes into full blown creativity mode and comes up with fun places to

hide our “Elf on the Shelf” who our family has named “Ringo Bells”.

The excitement builds all month long as we move towards Christmas day. We

love showing our kids that they are loved and special to us. All of this is fun

and exciting but we know that it really isn’t about all of our favorite things

and traditions. It is all about the miracle of miracles when Jesus Christ

came to earth to save us from our sins. Every Christmas Eve we gather

with our church family for a candlelight, communion service followed by a

family dinner and gift exchange at Molly’s parents. Once we arrive back

home and finally get the kids in bed Molly and I stay up wrapping gifts and

setting them out under the trees while we watch our favorite holiday

movies. When everything is set up Molly and I exchange our gifts to each

other. Our kids wake up Christmas morning before dawn and spy out their

presents and then watch “The Monkeys” DVD’s until Molly and I emerge to

open all of the gifts. Christmas morning our house is filled with the aromas

of breakfast casserole and my Mom’s recipe for peach stuffed french toast.

Christmas day is filled with lots of love and cuddles we wrap up the day

with a simple holiday meal with family and friends in our home. If you are in

the neighborhood and have no where else to go, come on over theres

always room for one more!

Merry Christmas!