Holiday Tidings

I love the holiday season! It's my favorite time of year. Like the song says, 'It's the most wonderful time of the year'!

For me the season always starts a few days before Thanksgiving. That's when the baking begins- pies for starters, pumpkin's my favorite, chocolate cream is my second, sour cream lemon is my Dad's favorite. Of course on Thanksgiving there's all sorts of cooking going on, from the turkey to the mashed potatoes to the yams and don't forget the fruit salad!

Grandpa always has us go around the table and tell what we're thankful for. It's fun to hear what people come up with each year. Then we sing the chorus of the old hymn, "Doxology".

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him all ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen."

After dinner we hang out, play games, laugh and just enjoy spending time together. The next day is one of my favorite because, finally, I'm allowed to start playing Christmas carols and begin decorating!

Christmas is the best part of the holiday season as far as I'm concerned. When I was a kid of course there were presents to enjoy and I've always loved giving gifts but now there's more to it. Now I appreciate so much more the story of Christmas. I still can't imagine how hard it must've been for Mary to learn she was pregnant or Joseph to accept he would be raising a child that was God's, not his.

However as an adult I can appreciate those hardships and difficulties in a way I couldn't when I was a kid. My favorite part of the story though is the shepherds. God sent the heavenly host to announce the birth of His son to a group of lowly shepherds. If that doesn't show how much God loves all of His people, no matter what station they have in life, then what does?

Anyways after Christmas comes New Years, a great time for reflection on all God's done, resolutions on what you'd like to do and one last party to enjoy for the end of the wonderful holiday season.

So what's your favorite part of the most wonderful time of the year?