Christmas Eve Traditions

It seems every family has a different tradition for what they do on Christmas Eve.
My husband and I both grew up doing very similar things on Christmas Eve...spending it with Grandparents.
Since we live nowhere near our parents we decided to start our own traditions:
We bake cookies for Santa.
Go to Christmas Eve service at church.
Let the kids open one present, which is always new jammies.
And read the following...so they understand that Christmas is about a very special baby!

Luke 2
The Birth of Jesus
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Merry Christmas my friends! May God's love shine on you brightly!
Michelle

A New MOPPET!

Tyler Matthew Evans is here!!
Born today at 12:47pm
6lb 5oz, 18 1/2 in long.

Matt and Natalie are the proud parents.
Tyler has 2 big sisters Makenzie and Rylie.

Congratulations!

Christmas Opportunities at First Baptist

I know that many of you are making plans to attend "Only Love" at FBCS this weekend but there are two other Christmas events coming up that you will want to check out.

Wednesday, December 16th:
The Preschool and Gradeschool Choirs of FBCS will present their annual Christmas program at
6:30PM in the Worship Center. This is such a cute program and several of our MOPS moms work hard with these choirs during the year. I promise, you will love it!

Friday, December 24th:
FBCS will have Christmas Eve Candlelight Services at 5:00PM, 7:00PM, and 9:00PM. Each of
these services are identical. They last approximately one hour and include music, prayer and a short message. This is a great opportunity for families. Please note that these services are generally very crowded, so arrive early to get seats! Childcare is NOT provided during these services.

Hope all of your Christmas preparations are going well!

Love,
Jerri Lyn

A Recipe from Mrs. Evelyn- HOBO STEW!

Are you expecting a crowd any time during the Christmas season? Well, I want to share a good recipe that you will enjoy, is easy and fast and will please a BIG BUNCH of people. Mrs. Evelyn, our MOPS mentor shared this with us last year. Mrs. Evelyn is a super person and I got to know her a little better during last month's MOPS FEAST. I was amazed at the amount of mission work that she does and the number of lives she has touched must number the thousands. She is a true gift to our MOPS program. I hope you enjoy this.

HOBO STEW

6lbs. ground round or sirloin
1 lg. onion, chopped
2lb. bag frozen vegetables
10 potatoes, chopped
2 heads cabbage, chopped
1 cup chopped peppers
4 cans tomatoes
2 tbl.spoons soy sauce
salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

In a large pot, brown meat, add onions and peppers and cook until softened. Add remaining ingredients and cook over medium to low heat stirring frequently. Add water as needed.

Serves 30 people. (Told you it was BIG!)

Why I Still Love Charlie Brown

I was very bummed out this morning. I had to miss the MOPS annual Christmas Brunch and was not happy about it. My two-year old had a very important appointment and even though I was where I needed to be, my thoughts were with all of you.
Unfortunately, the misery did not stop there. I forgot my umbrella and it rained. I had no checks left in my checkbook when I got to Publix. My two-year old would not nap. I could go on.....
FINALLY at 8:00pm, I sat down to watch what was bumped from the viewing schedule last Tuesday night. Yes, I LOVE Charlie Brown and it was worth the wait. I have always loved this 30 minute show that is older than me. Do you know why? Because it boldly states the gospel of Luke in the show. It states it without apology. It ignores political correctness. It just says it all.
Can you imagine that show being produced for the first time in 2009? Sadly, it would not make the network lineup. The fact that it is still shown on one of the "big three" networks gives me a glimmer of hope.
Yes, I missed all of you today. I do hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. And I want to thank the wonderful soul who put the video of "Santa Baby" on facebook. That made my day!