I've reluctantly welcomed December

BUT it feels special because it’s the first Christmas we’ll be sharing with our Betty girl… and she’s all about it. Yeah, I know she’s only 5 months old, but she’s the jolliest baby there ever was! (I’m slightly biased). She gives sweet little coos at the lights on the Christmas tree and giggles and squawks a whole lot at her dad singing “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Mele Kalikimaka” (Josh Woolley is basically Buddy the Elf). But my absolute favorite thing about sharing this season with Betty is getting to talk to her about Jesus (it’s a pretty one-sided conversation, and she listens really well). I have such anticipation for the season because I’m reminded as I read to her Luke chapters 1 & 2, we are not that different from Mary or the other characters of the story—we also are waiting in anticipation for Christ to come.

BUT CAN I BE HONEST: What I’m finding, is Christmas has got me feeling all kinds of emotions… sad/happy/nostalgic/maybe/probably hormonal—I practically cry walking through Target smelling the holiday candles. You see, depending on when we actually leave for the field, this could be Betty’s only Christmas in our little retirement center apartment in Rockford, and while it’s an unimpressive apartment, it’s been home for four years. This process of committing to live overseas has made me wonder how different the holidays may be in the amazon & amazon humidity. I’m from Minnesota, so Christmas day at 80 degrees has never been a thing, unless you count 80 degrees below zero. (PSA: please know that I exaggerate on my blog). But then I think, sheesssh, there’s probably some momma in the Amazon that isn’t spending the weeks leading up to Christmas reading Luke 1 & 2, and perhaps isn’t telling her cute babies about Jesus and how he’s coming back for them because He is so in love with them—and that is a real shame. I never thought I would feel this so deeply—deeply enough to pack up and move—but I desire people to live with the same anticipation of Christ’s coming that I have… and Mary had, heck, even those shepherds in the field had.

So I close out this post with (a cute picture of Betty) and my favorite lines from The First Noel, to remind us all of the anticipation of King that has come to us and is coming again. Merry Christmas my friends!

xo. Karri

The First Noel, the Angels did say

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay

In fields where they lay keeping their sheep

On a cold winter's night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel!

They looked up and saw a star

Shining in the East beyond them far

And to the earth it gave great light

And so it continued both day and night.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel