christmas letter

I love Christmastime...or is it Christmas time? Either way, I think it is great. I have managed over the years to scale back, organize, and streamline the holidays so that I do not overspend, stress out, or lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas - the birth of our Savior!!

In my fervor to stay on top of things, I ordered my Christmas cards before Thanksgiving. A fine organizational move on my part, but I missed out on some awesome post turkey day sales. I am a little bitter about that, I will admit. I addressed and mailed my cards this year without enclosing a Christmas letter. I tried to pen one a few times, but nothing brilliant came to mind and the ink on my printer is almost out, so I omitted it without much thought. That was last week. This week I am feeling a little guilty, and a little convicted.

Christmas is a great opportunity to share the Good News - to tell my friends and family about Jesus our Savior and His miraculous birth!

"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). ~Matthew 1:23

I am so thankful for Christmas. Without the birth of Jesus, there would be no death on the cross. And so, this holiday season, I am focusing my eyes and planning my actions to glorify the One who was born to save the world. Yes, I still get excited about presents, lights, and cookies - that stuff is FUN - but in the midst of the hullabaloo, I am purposefully taking pause to reflect and talk about Immanuel, God with us.

So, here it is - my Christmas letter. While it is non-traditional in the sense that it won't be arriving with the crazy Whitt family photo, it is most certainly intentional and inspired by love...

...love for my kids. I am so blessed to say that my children are happy, healthy, and thriving. Abby and Gage both accepted Jesus as their Savior this year, and Marissa and Rachel love learning about God at "bible study school." Abby is excelling this year in school - learning French and Hebrew, and will soon be studying Mandarin Chinese. Gage is a Tiger Cub Scout this year and loves to build rockets and go to den meetings with his dad. Marissa loves to play outside and is a skilled 2-wheel scooter-er. Rachel loves to wear "dances" (dresses) and "clop-clops" (high heels) and go to "pea toddies" (tea parties).

...love for my husband. I have an amazing husband who blesses me everyday (even when I least deserve it). He is now an account executive for ComNet Marketing. "What is ComNet?" you ask. I answer, "It is where Allen works." Frustrated you reply, "Yes, but what does he do there?" Hardly able to control my laughter I manage to say, "Uhhhh, hellloo - he exec's accounts." As I type this I am cracking myself up. Oh man, I am funny. He also works for NextJob part time as a job coach, and is continually pursuing his entrepreneurial ambitions. While his schedule is crazy, he has been able to take Abby to volleyball practices, help coach Gage's flag football team, and pursue his dream of becoming a Boy Scout. (Cracking myself up again...Allen is afraid someone might think I am serious about the scout thing.)

...love for my God. At Christmas I am reminded of the blessing and sacrifice He made for us.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ~John 3:16

Christmas is about a little baby, laid in a manger, who was born to bring salvation to the world. Christmas is a birthday party for Jesus!

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ~Luke 2:10-12

Ahhhhh....I just love Christmastime...or Christmas time...

So...while I missed out on some sweet Black Friday deals, sent out my Christmas cards without letters, and possibly used stamps that did not quite cover the cost of postage (sorry if your card left you owing the postman a few cents)...I feel redeemed by publishing this note. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year - and I almost squandered an opportunity to tell everyone that I love and care about most, exactly what it means to me. God bless you!