My 2011 Christmas Wish List

I read the neatest little book to my kids tonight called "The Spirit of Christmas" by Nancy Tillman and something about it really hit home to my heart.  I couldn't help but think that the special magical feeling I used to have as a child at Christmas time and now how that has been taken over by stress and worry of making Christmas happen for everyone else.

This year even with setting up the Christmas decorations, buying up my Christmas cookie ingredients, and attempting to start my Christmas shopping I hadn't been feeling that magic yet.  But this little book really put things in perspective for me.  It's not all about all these "things" we try to do or buy or make or decorate, but that Christmas is about love.  It's remembering the miracle of the birth of Jesus and how much God loves us no matter what we have or what we do.  So my Christmas wish list this year has a different focus to help remind me of the real meaning of the season and fill my heart up with the magic of God's love.

So this is what I'm asking God for this Christmas:

1) Good health and safety for my family - without them I am truly nothing
2) More patience with my children and husband so that I can be a true reflection of Christ in their eyes
3) Discipline to really start making time to exercise - not just to lose a couple extra pounds but to keep me healthy and keep me strong and fit to keep my family running well
4) Humility to keep me from being so stubborn and selfish in my ways and to forgive much faster - "I'm Sorry" are such powerful words, but sometimes so hard for me to say
5) Peace within my heart to be content and not wanting to rush life along
6) Love to overflow in my heart not only for my family and friends but for those who challenge me and those I haven't even met yet
7) Self-confidence in my abilities and talents and to keep challenging myself to step out of my comfort zone and keep pushing towards my dreams and goals
8) To feel okay about treating myself to things
9) More initiative to reach out to others - friends and family - all this moving around in the past year has really kept me in my shell and I thrive being out of that shell
10) More faith to truly serve God with all my heart, my soul and my mind


But for fun, this is what I would put on my wish list to Santa:
1) Bright red shiny industrial-sized KitchenAid mixer with all the little gizmos that go with it
2) 4 round trip tickets to Singapore via London so I could see all my favorite international friends and family
3) A pair of black tall boots and a couple new outfits to make me look a little more posh than a total stay at home homely person
4) Some home exercise equipment so I can actually be able to do the exercise I want to do