This year, even more than ever, I really wanted to emphasize joy and gratitude throughout the holiday season. During a time of loss it is really easy to fall into the trap of thinking about all that we don’t have during the holidays. While we could definitely feel an absence and a sense of quiet this year, I am also a strong believer that joy and grief are not mutually exclusive – they can both exist in our hearts at the same time. I will continue to do my very best to intentionally choose joy. So, we bought a new nine foot (flocked) Christmas tree, I dressed my children in Christmas attire for an entire month, and we focused on all the things we do have this Holiday season and giving thanks for Jesus and for each other.
A picture is worth a thousand words so, without further adieu, here are a few of my favorite snapshots from our Christmas and Holiday season. There was even a certain little boy’s first birthday in there, too, but more to come on that later.
Such precious pictures and memories captured! I bet it’s hard to take down that gorgeous tree. 🙂