Tis the season!

This year for Christmas, my family and I will actually be in Australia. Rather than sleepily walking downstairs, still in pajamas with my sister on Christmas morning, we will be snorkeling the Great Barrier. Instead of eating, drinking and being merry with a house full of my crazy family, perhaps I will be petting a Koala bear or learning to throw a boomerang.

Either way, while the upcoming vacation is something my family and I are excited about and have been looking forward to for a while, I think the non-traditional-ness of it all has made me feel extra thankful for the very Christmas-feeling things sprinkled through life in these weeks leading up to the awesome and hope-filled celebration of Jesus' birth in Christmas.

The last few afternoons spent with my little girls, we have been pretending we are Christmas elves. Yes, we even all have our own elf names. I've been sworn to secrecy, though, regarding our names and most of our elfish activities. I will, however- lucky you!- share a few of the highlights... we've built adorable little gingerbread houses, have been crafting surprise gifts for family and friends and daily practice a few of our favorite holiday carols.

'Tis also (yay!!) the season for fun Christmasy Young Life events. Monday night was the beloved ugly Christmas sweater club. Here are a few of my favorite shots from that.

Pk and little Abe

Mayhem!

Partridge in a pear tree?

Elf spaghetti (and candy canes and chocolate sauce and syrup) eating contest

Jessie!

I.

Love.

These. Girls.

The team I am so, so blessed to serve alongside.

Christmas! It is sneaking up very, very quickly but I'm still finding Advent joy and hope and anticipation, nonetheless, in all corners of life. Why? Because with the birth of Jesus at Christmas we receive in the world:

"Immanuel- God with us." Matthew 1:23