christmas.

I'm from Colorado.  Therefore, by definition, Christmas = cold.  Snow, blankets, hot chocolate, ice, heavy jackets, and sledding are all a central part of my favorite holiday.  Generally, Christmas morning outside my window looks something like this:

This year, however, Christmas was a little bit different.  For one thing, it was about 85 degrees on Christmas day.  For another thing, I spent the day riding wave runners around the Sea of Cortez and laying beside the pool on a giant cruise ship.  Warm, swimming suits, margaritas, sun, salt water, and sand were the defining features of this Christmas.  Christmas morning outside my window this year:

A little bit different from the Christmas's of my childhood.  But wonderful all the same.

When I was younger, Christmas was the most exciting day of the year.  And I still love it now (a whole lot, actually), but it doesn't hold the same weight for me that it once did.  The thing is - I should be unspeakably grateful for the gift of life found in Jesus every day.  Not just on December 25th, squeezed somewhere in between presents and large amounts of food.  So I suppose that Christmas day is special for family and happiness and comfort, but it is the same as every other awesome, marvelous, beautiful, unbelievable day that Jesus gives me all my life.

So, merry belated Christmas.

But here's to making every day like Christmas day, and to remembering that God's gift of love didn't end on that one night with the birth of that beautiful baby.  No...that was just the beginning of His ever unfailing love.

Christmas sunset:

...just a tiny glimpse of the majesty of our dear Heavenly Father and Friend.  May He make His face shine onto us and hold us always in His arms.