All I Want For Christmas...

Whenever I hear that title I think of the old Christmas song where the boy lisp-ly sings about simply wanting his 2 front teeth for Christmas. I have to admit that this year I already have what I want (Mark as my super wonderful handsome husband), so anything else is simply icing on the cake!!

My mom is a fantastic writer and she's written several articles for Crosswalk.com and Peacemaker Ministries. Last year she posted an article about all she wanted for Christmas. Here's a little blurb and a link to the rest of the article:

"All I Want For Christmas... Is A Peaceful Family"

I began to collect Norman Rockwell prints as a girl. At 17 my favorite Christmas gift was a giant book of Norman Rockwell paintings and Saturday Evening Post Covers. I loved the detail, the nostalgic scenes and faces, and I would spend hours poring over the pages.

The November 24th issue of World Magazine featured Norman Rockwell's painting Freedom from Want from the "Four Freedoms" series. This picture, depicting three generations enjoying a holiday meal, reminded me of why I love Rockwell's paintings. I long for loving, peaceful family moments like this.

When my mother was asked what she wanted for Christmas, she would always respond, "I just want a family that will get along together." We did have our share of conflicts and maybe that was the beginning of my fascination with Rockwell paintings. Warm meaningful moments are frequent themes of Rockwell's work, and I wanted moments like that in my family. This desire for peace in my home continued on in my adulthood. Buried deep in my decision to home school was a desire for a conflict-free family.

Click here for the rest of the article.