Our Anniversary and the Holiday Spirit

 As some of you know, I procrastinated a bit when it came to decorating for Christmas. I'm usually big on freshening up for the new seasons, but this year, I just wasn't feeling it. A part of me was annoyed that so many people and companies started celebrating long before Thanksgiving, so I guess it made it less special for me. I did eventually pull out and set everything up to make our place more festive, but even still, it just seemed like the thing to do. I also contributed it to the fact I wasn't enjoying the cold weather change. My body goes through crappy-mode when it gets cold and it dampens my spirits a bit.

 I eventually had to tell myself that Christmas isn't about decorations and holiday store music (which I dislike, mainly because you hear the same song 20 times by 20 different artists). In fact, it's not even about how terribly cold it is (even though it's pretty warm compared to other parts of the world). It's about Christ and celebrating the birth of our savior. Pretty simple explanation there.

 I've been doing my best to focus on those things and not how pretty or plain our tree looks. Spending time indoors with my husband, snuggling to hot chocolate while reading our scriptures together or our Marriage and Family Relations study guide (taught during the 2nd hour of church) is what's important. Watching uplifting films about Christmas and talking about our childhood memories during the holidays is a sure way to get my holiday spirit fired up.

In other obvious news, Gary and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary on the 14th. That evening (after we went out to dinner), we met with our bishop for tithing settlement. One of the first things he said to us while we sat down was, "You two are both smiling about something." It wasn't because one of us cracked a joke beforehand, it was because we were just...well, happy. In fact, we were discussing computer programming languages. Exciting stuff, right? But anyway, I am so blessed to have my husband. He really does have me smiling at the most random times, whether he's present or not. It was a good day for the both of us. Gary received another beautiful raise, we spent the evening together going out and celebrating, and we were told we were perfect in a commandment- tithing. Looking at that total number we donated to the church had us momentarily thinking, "Wow, that's new car money", but quickly had to switch back to gratitude mode and realize the blessings we've received because of that faithfulness.

Anyway, that's our update for now. Have a fun/awesome/spiritual Christmas!