Merry Christmas

 Merry Christmas!

Fair warning, if Bitmojis annoy you, look away now! I went a little crazy with them.

It’s been an awful year. Great way to start this entry, isn’t it? But Christmas is finally here, even if I feel like the “Merry” part is questionable sometimes. With my white blood cell count dropping, we’re not taking any chances. No Christmas gatherings. I at least had a Thanksgiving gathering with my parents and brother and his family. We ate in a separate room and kept our distance, but it felt like a holiday. I put up our fiber optic Christmas tree and put some Christmas stuffed animals under it, so I have something festive to look at while stuck at home (next year, I’ll put my Nativities under it). No Christmas gatherings means no presents are under my tree. I’m secretly happy about that though. I really haven’t enjoyed buying Christmas gifts for people for several years. I may be a little bit of a Scrooge.

I prefer get-togethers without gifts. Gift giving is not my love language. Although, I did put together gift bags for my 3rd graders, which I never do. 

I saw this one, and it pretty much sums up how I feel.
Like I'm stuck in a bubble. 

Now on to Merrier things. 

I started a Christmas playlist on YouTube. If you’re interested, here’s the link Crystal's Christmas Playlist. Just a few of my favorites that I love to listen to while working on other things. I’m sure I’ll add more. I can’t help but feel better when I listen to these songs. They are so uplifting. Be sure to listen to my new favorite, What Child Is This / Child of the Poor | The Hound + The Fox. It’s amazing. The video below if only for the one song. For the playlist, click above where is says Crystal's Christmas Playlist.

Despite the fact that no one really knows when Jesus was born, his birth is celebrated on December 25th. Both Matthew and Luke write about the birth of Jesus. If you don’t have a Bible, download The Bible app from Life.Church Apple Link & Android Link. You can read it in about any version, or you can listen to it as it reads it aloud. 

If you want a wonderful, FREE video to watch about the birth of Jesus, head to YouTube. This video is 24 minutes long, and was directed by Dallas Jenkins, son of Jerry Jenkins, co-author of the Left Behind series. It’s a beautifully done and moving video called “The Shepherd,” but it’s also known as “The Chosen Special Christmas Episode.” Click the link or the video. https://youtu.be/paOjgZZDads 

If you have a little more time on your hands and want to watch a Christmas special, try Christmas with the Chosen. It has some thought provoking readings covering Genesis to the birth of Christ, and lots of bands performing really great Christmas songs. My new favorite is Joshua Aaron. His song was amazing! Another of my favorites is the Piano Guys. And who doesn’t love For King & Country? Others include Zach Williams, Mandisa, Chris Tomlin, Hillsong United, The Bonner Family, Stephen McWhirter/Jason Clayborn, Phil Wickham, Matt Maher. All of them were wonderful. Check it out for FREE here. Come on, we could all use a little free, wholesome, family entertainment. I know the video below looks the same as the one above, but they are different, I promise. Click the link or the video. https://youtu.be/T5ftnTK9-3w

Enjoy your Christmas festivities!