jacob's birth-day + six months= christmas

jacob probably has the coolest, most-perfectly-spaced birthday. every six months he gets presents. june 25th. december 25th. june 25th. december 25th. the jubilations will continue on and on forever in perfect semiannual fashion. perfection. man i timed that good :)

and though he would've been tickled pink just to have a box full of empty water bottles, tissue paper and tv remotes, he was showered with books, toys and clothes. thank you all!

jacob was very humbled by all this generosity on his behalf. he planned on giving us his beloved pink tissue paper as a thank you gift but he decided to hold onto that and give us the gift of sleeping in until 9 am instead. which was awesome. but i fear that tradition will not last long. and honestly, i'm excited for that. to have our kiddos run and jump onto our bed at 5 in the morning, squealing with excitement and anticipation just like i did when i was a youngster. it will be a blast.

of course, sleeping in this year was a double-edged sword because since we got up late, we opened presents late and church started at 11am. the cinnamon rolls and eggs had to be postponed. scott held back his tears and focused on learning to tie his bowtie.

with church over, we headed back home and watched "A Christmas Story" three times in a row. we dined on leftovers from the night before: homemade honey-baked ham, cheese potatoes, peas, rolls, jello {no mormon meal would be complete without it} and buttermilk brownies. oh, and candy. lots of it.

later, our ward missionaries came over to skype their families and play a little Scattegories. and i tell you what, those guys are like family. they hung out with us christmas eve, and they were even allowed to watch a movie! oh, the pure, simple joy of Il dolce far niente! {the sweetness of doing nothing}

the crowning moment of christmas, however, was when i got to hear my brother's voice via skype and witness his insane talent of spinning things on his finger. seriously, he's an artist.

and the older i get, and the longer i live far apart from everyone, the more i realize that the true magic of christmas comes from being with family and friends and sharing silly times and talents and talking about nothing in particular. whether they're 2,093.97 miles away, on the other side of Nashville, on skype, on the phone, or laughing on the couch in suits and ties watching Fantastic Mr. Fox, or holding your hand, or sleeping sweetly on your lap, they magnify the magic of christmas and strengthen my testimony of the Plan of Happiness. my family is forever because of that plan and because a little baby was born in Bethlehem to his own loving family.

there are churches everywhere here in the south. and most all of them have marquees, each proclaiming that Christ is the reason for the season. but one in particular catches my eye every time. it reads: "Mary wrapped the first Christmas present." I believe in gifts. I believe in Christ. I believe that Christ is the greatest gift to mankind. And having His spirit and the spirit of Christmas is contingent on whether or not i strive to keep Him in my thoughts each day. President Thomas S. Monson, prophet of the Lord, has said, "As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always."

Christ is the perfect gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes, offering lasting happiness with our families and with Him and our Father in Heaven for all eternity. So here's to a New Year's Goal! To have the Christmas Spirit, the spirit of Christ, as my companion each and every day. Merry Christmas!