My Gift

Advent- a coming into place, view, or being-arrival; the coming of Christ into the world.

As we begin the Christmas season, I had spent the Fall studying. My lessons covered the fruits of the Spirit-"Abiding Fruit". As a Mom, Wife, Daughter, Friend, Volunteer, Woman; I need to gain more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.

I have felt now for about a year, that God is preparing me for something. The feeling lead me in the Spring to answer a call to a mission trip. My feelings about 9 months later persist. I feel like in my study the view is becoming clearer. I feel, like my Christmas decorations, things are coming into place.

I tried introducing an advent devotional to my family. It is something that I am doing and wanted to share. I want this time to be a family waiting-waiting for our King. I know I can't push my waiting on everyone because it is my waiting. So I read, I study, I wait and I look. He is coming! The message that He is bringing to me will arrive in due time. I wait like a child on Christmas morning for the right time to open the gift.

I plan to view my gift with wide-eyes of excitement.

Lord, let me see your arrival - your gift to me. Let me rejoice in the arrival. Let me live out the calling.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Our family enjoys Christmas traditions. We bake strawberry bread,spiced tea, hot chocolate, a candy making day with Merissa, drawing names among the siblings, tagging and decorating the biggest Leland Cypress tree that we can find, and listening to Christmas music. Several years ago we made Christmas Eve our family event. We spend the day delivering the last of the Strawberry Bread and making gumbo. We begin the end of our night with Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at the Orchard.

This year we woke up on Christmas morning to a White Christmas. I've never seen a white Christmas as far as I can remember, but we looked outside to find this.

We woke at 6 which was unusual for our children. Philip made sure that Santa had arrived and made Mom a pot of coffee. The kids lined up to find what Santa had left them this year. We found a den full of gifts...

Amos was alarmed that the den was covered in stuff and that the stockings were moved. He barked and curiously walked through our gift exchange for a while.

We enjoyed seeing all the gifts that Santa had left then exchanging gifts from one another.

After our gift exchange, we ate our traditional Christmas morning breakfast...Sausage Balls and Cinnamon Rolls! We bundled up and enjoyed our Christmas present from the Lord.

We threw snowballs, rolled a snowman, and enjoyed the beauty of the morning.

We stayed out as long as we could stand it. The snow was falling in big flakes and continued to pile up. One last job for the kids was...

GOTCHA! MERRY WHITE CHRISTMAS! Thank you Lord for showing us your GLORY!

Trippe Christmas

We have traditionally tried to celebrate Christmas with my Dad's side of the family. On Christmas morning, after we enjoy our own gift exchange, we pack the car to head to Inverness/Indianola. Uncle Ed Pratt & Aunt Donna host the George Trippe Family Christmas. My aunts, uncles, cousins and their families all gather together for Christmas lunch. This is the one time of year that we get to see one another. This year we enjoyed the morning with....Ed Pratt, Donna, Kathryn Ann, David, Billy, Stacy, Angela, Penny, Travis, Mary Margaret, Bubba, Philip, and I. The kids were mine and Mary Margaret's. We enjoyed Donna's tiramasu. It is always a crowd favorite. After lunch, the Trippe men rush out the door for deer camp. The rest of us continue to catch up from our past year. Following our visit, Philip and I take the kids and Mom to the cemetary to visit Daddy, Peacho and Granddaddy's graves. I want the kids to have memories of who my Dad was even though they have never met him.

The rest of the day we head to Moms for the Hutcherson family Christmas. Mama is always good at   making sure that Honey and Nickki get Christmas dinner . We exchange gifts with everyone. In years past, Honey was the one who crawled under the tree to be the elf that delivered gifts to everyone. This year, Trippe took on this role. The kids were so blessed this year...Honey gave them each a signed copy of his book, A Lad from Lamont. We have spent the night the past few years so that cousins can play together.

This year I have no pictures because I forgot to charge my battery post Christmas morning snow.

Howell Christmas

Yesterday was designated the day for Howell Family Christmas in Magee. We have recently experienced the loss Mrs. Lou. Right after Thanksgiving, we suddenly lost her. Our hearts were broken to lose that infectious laughter that she brought. It was just 2 1/2 years ago that we had to walk through our first Christmas with out Maw-Maw. Our hearts were still heavy from that loss and Mrs. Lou had brought a sense of joy back into the house. She and Maw-Maw were dear friends so Mrs. Lou kept much of the "Mary-ness" about the house.

Our visit began with the Mealins and our family spending the night with Paw-Paw. The kids played card games, listened to Evan jam on his electric guitar, and laugh so hard they almost cried. There was some story about "nuggets" that had Evan and Wynn in stitches. The kids got to camp out in the "art house".

Julie and I finished cooking and crawled in the bed to catch up! I am so blessed to have a sister-in-law (and family) that we can just pick up where we left off the last visit. Julie is more like a sister to me, and I am very blessed!

I woke on Thursday to the smell of Philip cooking bacon for everyone. It wouldn't be a trip to Paw-Paws if Philip wasn't making his famous breakfast. (bacon, eggs & biscuits). Julie and I got gumbo and fixings (Paw-Paws potato salad) ready for the masses. We have many great memories sitting in that kitchen while Philip cooks and enjoying our coffee and storeis. We laugh, we remember, we cry, we eat...it doesn't get much better. Kids trickle into the kitchen one by one. We take turns getting ready and regulating the hot water.

Finally, more cousins and in-laws.

There are 12 Howell Grands that range in age from 17-8. Lou brought with her a daughter, son-in-law, three grands and a son. Our house is full, but fun. The Friend kids always gather the Howell kids for a board game or cards.

Trippe hooked up with some Star Wars legos. The girls got make-up bags from the Greg Howells. Paw-Paw gave the parents a number game in receiving our gifts. Items he had picked up on one of his many mission trips. (A new bread basket and candle holder).I think one of my favorite memories was watching Wynn be Paw-Paws helper to pass out gifts. (until it was time to stop and open her own). .

She picked right back up with her duties once her excitement over her Zhu-Zhu pets was past. (thanks Evan). She gave Paw-Paw the biggest hug when she saw the large bill placed inside her envelope from him.

That baby just loves her Paw-Paw

This was a hard Christmas without Mothers and Grandmothers. It was hardest most of all for Paw-Paw.

He took time to write the Grans a special note to express his love for them.

Even through the tears and heartache, we found some laughter and new memories.

Christmas Parade

It wouldn't be Christmas without the Tupelo Christmas Parade. We have only missed this event once since moving here 10 years ago. We look forward to the morning each year. We gather at the same spot with some of the same friends each year. This year was a little different because Trippe and Philip walked in the Parade. They joined the TPSD music teachers and students as Grand Marshalls. They were some of the first people we saw.

Trippe & Dad passing by in the parade



Being some of the first in line, the boys and their tired legs headed home once their route was finished. The girls enjoyed watching friends pass by. Some of our parade favorites are always the Partlow Drummers. We were glad this year that parade organizers saved all of the horse groups for the end.  We headed home post Santa and the boys had heated our pot of  Crawfish Bisque!

Christmas, Christmas Time Is Here

It has been a while since I sat down to think about our daily happenings. Sarah was given a CD by her sweet small group leader, Chloe. It is by Straight No Chaser. The first song is very fast and they seem a little like they have ADD (so MK says) and they sing Christmas, Christmas time is here...shopping, shopping, etc. I have felt that speediness of this December. The rush of the song, the pressure of the "to do list", the activities on the calendar. I must say this year has been less filled than in the past, but still I feel we got a late start.

We started our Christmas season off as normal...tagging a tree at Gray's Christmas Tree Farm. We were sad to see the newspaper listing that this was their last year  of owning the farm. We traveled to Hatley to pick the "perfect" tree. We were greeted by the new family who will open a farm a few miles down the road. We were relieved with that news. Next it was down to business and y'all it only took 5 whole minutes to meet this grand 10 footer.

Gray's Christmas Tree Farm 2010



Daddy made certain  that we got our full tree farm experience. We rode the train through the farm one last time. Thanks Philip for helping us make memories no matter how old we get!

We waited a week or so before Daddy went back to the farm to retrieve our tree. It is an annual tradition that we decorate our tree together. With Christmas music playing & spiced tea cooking, we began the process or sorting through ornaments and adding our favorites to the tree.

Our ornaments are wooden ones that Granny gave me when I was younger and I've given each of you. They are handmade by a lady named Gay from Jackson. Granny met her at the Canton Flea Market years ago. We have ornaments that tell stories of our family too. Ones from vacations, made at school, from our friends, etc. I love to hear the stories you tell as I pull them out of the box. I've always loved to hear you retell the stories. I think we always say this, but "our tree is the most beautiful one we have ever had".




the finished product