1st Christmas

[BEG]

This is my first celebrated Christmas in 22 years! 
Lil BEG and I put up the tree yesterday with all the decorations. We hung a  wreath on the door, decorated the fireplace mantle, hung our stockings and displayed the nativity scene on a table. All of these things were my mom's which makes it doubly meaningful for me. I know she is smiling down on me. 
When we were done, I had a youthful, content feeling in my heart. Lil BEG had a beautiful smile on her face and I began to cry.
It was an amazing day to begin our first Christmas season! 
God Bless You, my friends. 

[Sandy Eggo]

Wow, that's wonderful BEG and it makes me smile just visualizing your experience. A child's smile is the one that that warms the heart, isn't it? It makes everything wonderful. That's a great story. Merry Christmas.

[BEG]

Thanks, MsMojo! Merry Christmas to you too. 
I feel all giddy inside - just like I did when I was a little girl at Christmas time.
I'm anxious for my sisters and I to have our homemade candy exchange on Dec 9th. 
In Anderson we have the Festival of Trees at the Paramount Theater. I always heard it was wonderful to go through and see all the decorated trees. Lil BEG are going to do that this year.
http://andersonparamount.org/events/subevents/fot/fot.htm

[Sandy Eggo]

I don't know if you have this in Anderson, but we had something similar in Maryland and yesterday we found a Christmas tree farm here that has homemade apple cider, Christmas music playing, hay rides and story telling. I know lil' Beg is older, but my 15 year old son enjoyed it as much as Lil' Mojo and she's 9. Just a thought to add to your enjoyment of the season.

[~Daisy~]

That's great, BEG...would I be rude if I asked why you didn't celebrate Christmas during your marriage (I'm assuming, since I know you were married 21 years...this would be 22?)

[BEG]

Well, this is my story:

I was baptised when I was 16. I married my high school sweetheart one month after graduation and 18 months later he slept around on me. We were divorced shortly thereafter and I became angry at him, the world, and God.
My second (and current) husband was my friend at work. He's a Jehovah's Witness, which didn't bother me because I lost my faith in God because my first marriage failed. We married 2 yrs later.
I became the dutiful, submissivie, and obedient wife. Therefore no holidays were "celebrated".
Last year I renewed MY faith in God and returned to MY core beliefs. He became angry when I started to attend a 'wordly' church and he moved out the evening of my mom's funeral service.
I still maintained my faith through all of that and I will never lose it again.
I am so much stronger from going through all that I have in the past 20+ yrs but mostly the past 12 months.

[~Daisy~]

That is wonderful, BEG. I had a friend who was Jehovah's Witness, and even though they didn't celebrate holidays, I just had a hard time ever agreeing with not celebrating Christmas, even if it was just for the commercial aspect of it all, because of children. I remember in elementary school her looking miserable and left out because she couldn't even celebrate the class Christmas parties. I just thought that sucked for her. Glad to see you and Lil Beg getting to enjoy the holiday spirit. That really does warm my heart.

[Sunny]

Well, MERRY CHRISTMAS to you & lil' BEG. Have you started shopping for gifts?

[BEG]

I'm almost done. I hope to finish tonight. Mostly with gift cards.