For unto you a child is born...

I absolutely love Christmas. I love spending time with family and devoting a whole day to celebrating the birth of my savior. Christmas is also the day when I realize just how much I have to be thankful for. I reflect on how blessed I am and realize every year that one day is just not enough to celebrate Jesus' birth. I should be celebrating this every day! Christmas is all about tradition in the Flowers' house. We do a few several things every year, but do add a few extra sometimes.

This Christmas Eve, my dad and I got up and did a 5K run (Bayler's Birthday Bash). This was a great way for my dad and I to spend time together while helping raise money for the children's hospital in Columbia. For those of you who don't know, Bayler Teal was a 7 year old little boy who lost his battle with cancer over the summer. The Gamecock baseball team dedicated their National Championship to him. Well, Bayler would have turned 8 on Christmas Eve, so his family decided to celebrate his birthday by raising money for the hospital that treated him during his fight.

After the 5K run, my dad and I ran to Walmart to pick up a few last minute things and then met my mom for a Wendy's lunch. This part of the day is usually spend shopping, however my family was on top of things this year! :)

So, after spending the afternoon painting (I get in a crafty mood sometimes), my family went to the Christmas Eve service at my church. This is one of my favorite services of the year. We sing about 6 or 7 Christmas Carols, light the Christ candle of the advent wreath, and take the Lord's supper. We end the service by lighting candles and singing Silent Night. It is a wonderful sight to see! After the Christmas Eve service, we then head to my Grandma's house (my dad's mom) where we have finger foods and open presents. We usually eat a lot more than we realize, open lots of presents, and then take way too many pictures. After eating and opening presents, we go home so that Santa can come visit!

Christmas morning is always a time that I look forward to with my family. One thing my parents started doing when my brother and I became teenagers is a scavenger hunt. I love this part of Christmas morning, because it always makes opening presents interesting. Usually, I figure out my brother's clues before I figure out my own and vice versa. I think my parents do that on purpose. HAHA! My parents give us one present with a clue on it. The clues go something like this:

1. "Roses are red. Violets are blue.

Somewhere we have hidden your presents from you.

When you come home from school,

You bring these too!

Dark they will be and you can see

In their place they always will be."

I found my second present in the dirty clothes hamper in the dark bin. :)

2. "You've found the first one, now here is another clue.

You go to school where things are blue.

Another present is hidden from you.

I hope you are thirsty as you need one of these.

Get one and your present will open with ease."

I found my third present in the cabinet where the cups are.

3. "Three down and one more to go.

Everything seems to move too slow.

The lights outside are off don't you know.

Cut them on and you will see

Your last present we give you with glee!"

I found my last present in the garage where we have the outside Christmas light switch.

4. "The last present you have found,

You did it without making a sound.

I hope you enjoy all your presents this day

Because this is all we have to say:

Merry Christmas!"

***Note, my parents are writing these riddles around midnight on Christmas Eve, so they can get a little corny. But, it is still one of my favorite traditions of Christmas.

After our scavenger hunt and opening my present from Jonathan, we get ready to go to my mom's parents house in Society Hill! There, we have Christmas lunch (where I stuff myself so full that I can't eat anything that night) and we open more presents. We then spend the afternoon talking and are unable to move because of all the food we have eaten. To end the day, we stop by my grandma's to visit for about an hour and then head home.

Tonight, my parents and I got in our pajamas and watched the movie "The Christmas Hope". This is the 3rd movie of "The Christmas Shoes" series. All of the movies in this series are tear-jerkers and if you would like to see them, I own all 3. :)

Now, as my mom came in and told me, we have 365 more days until next Christmas. All of the gifts that Santa brought and my family gave were great, but they can never compare to the best gift of all and the first gift of the first Christmas ever: Jesus. Merry Christmas everyone!!!