The best Christmas ever

I don't know if it was the snow, the activities or playing the parent role, but this Christmas was the best ever. Bethany and I spent Christmas Eve getting ready to head to the houses for the evening. We arrived around 5 and hung out with the kids and ate dinner with them until it was time to go carolling. In Romania the young people visit the older people and sing carols. The kids visited with the house director Elena, our driver Traian and our foundation director Bruce. We arrived home about 8:30 and the all the kids went upstairs to put on their pijamas. At Ana we talked about how not all of the presents would be the same and how they are not allowed to sell their presents (crazy, but it happened only a few days before). Then with the help of Septi I shared the Christmas story with the kids. We used a book that shared creation, the fall of man, the need for a Savior and God's ultimate plan, leading to the events surrounding Jesus' birth. We also watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas. By this time it was about 10 and they headed up to bed obediently and quickly fell asleep. Then we started working...until after 3am! We finished stockings, wrapped the last presents, went to get the sleds from the office and much more. We had told the kids that at 6 they could come out of their rooms and they did. They stayed upstairs until everyone was up and then they sang Christmas carols before they raced down the stairs. Everyone got a sled, a Bible, and clothes. The younger girls got a play beauty center. The older girls got makeup and jewelry. Daniel, Cornel and Zorro received remote control cars. Claudiu, who had told his person of reference, (who told me at 11pm Christmas Eve) "If I get a guitar it means that God loves me," did in fact receive a guitar. We put batteries in cars and played around the house until about 9, when I think all of the kids got dressed and went outside to play in the courtyard with their sleds. Bethany and I went home and had our own Christmas and got ready to go to Bruce and Catherine's for lunch...mmmm...turkey, mashed potatoes and all the rest of the yummy carbohydrates. We then met the kids at church for their Christmas program. Phew...what a day!