Ready, Set...Christmas!

Last night we put up the Christmas tree and decorated the house all up. We have decked our halls and are jingling our bells. LOL We also spent about 3 hours outside putting lights up and I have to say, it looks mighty pretty. :) We haven't put up lights in a couple years. Brenna was so giddy about it and thought it was wonderful. I love having a kid during Christmas.

This year's a little different for us then it has ever been. We decided to use the money that we had set aside for Christmas to help a family who really needs it. We talked to everyone in our family and told them to please not get us anything because there would be no presents from us.
Brendon works with a girl (and knows her father) who really needs our help this year. Her brother (19 years old) was in a terrible car accident about a month ago and they didn't think he'd make it - they spent two weeks wondering if he was going to live or not. The same day they got the good news that he was going to be okay, they were hit with another tragedy - their house caught on fire and they lost just about everything.
Now on top of medical bills, they have a whole house to refurnish and are without things that most of us take for granted. People at Brendon's work have really come through for them and they have received lots of clothes and furniture. The son who had been in the hospital came home to a hand-me-down couch to sleep on and has been sleeping on it for a couple weeks. He's still in pretty bad shape and told his Dad that the couch is really hurting his body (it's one of those fold out couches with the bars you can feel through the mattress). When we asked Elias (the Dad) a few days ago what they needed he said right away, "A bed for my son." Well I went out today and used our Christmas money to buy him a new bed. This week we will also be shopping for kitchen things as well as some toys for the 7 year old daughter. Some of the women in my home school group have been awesome too and we are getting two dressers, clothes, a night stand and a stove to give to them as well. Today I went to my Grandma's and got some more clothes for the mother, towels, wash clothes, hangers and blankets.
I just feel in my heart that I have to do all that I can to help these people. They are a good, hard-working family and the times that I have talked to Elias on the phone, you can just tell that he hates asking for things. I just couldn't imagine losing everything I had.

So I think this year is going to be a really good Christmas for the Spear house. It's going to be all about giving to a family who really needs it. I think that that's what Christmas should really be all about.