Christmas Joy!

If you were to ask me what my favorite gift fro Christmas was, it is a toss-up between an awesome watch

This watch screams Blake Johnson!

and having two wonderful visitors!

If you look closely, there are fish eating my parent's feet!

A wonderful Christmas meal

It is always a joy to go out and buy your turkey for exciting events as the smallest turkey breast we could buy was 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) and leg with thigh (they would not cut off the just the leg for me) was 2.5 kilos (5.5 lbs), so needless to say, we cut up the pieces of the bird, totaling about 10 lbs, when we got home into thirds and still had leftovers cooking only 3 pounds of meat.

We were fortunate to have some people send presents and were very blessed to have a full tree

and presents for our kids

We went swimming Christmas day

Ellianna and Jolen's favorite present was Crazy Forts as Ellianna now sleeps every nap and night in her new fort.

Those of you who have grown up with Ukrainian culture know about Ukrainian Christmas, so that means December 25 in Ukraine is a normal working day.  We received Christmas greetings from another team-member here in Ukraine about how Jesus was probably born on a working days as well.

I was reading Facebook and many people commented how this year doesn't feel like Christmas and it reminded me of the first Christmas.  Did it feel like Christmas when Jesus was born?  Probably to the shepherds and the Magi who saw the star, and Mary and Joseph had a special gift, a child!  But in the grand scheme of things, was the day so special to the world?  Eventually the birth of our Saviour would turn the world upside down: Herod's murder of the children of Bethlehem, Pilate's condemnation of and innocent man, the Stone rolled away, tongues of fire spreading to this day to the whole world!  What a special day and a wonderful reminder over here as to the "normality" that was the virgin birth.

I pray blessings for you and your family as you enjoy each other's company in Ukraine, South Africa, Canada, USA and wherever you are reading these humble ramblings of someone who is truly blessed to have a beautiful, loving wife, 2 beautiful, crazy and busy children and parents who were able to come over and share in the normal Christmas festivities!  Merry Christmas!