It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

For many, Christmas is a time to reunite with friends and family, share stories over a warm, bountiful meal, and give loved ones a special gift.

For many, Christmas is a time to celebrate the life of Jesus Christ.  To join together and share joy, pray for peace, and rejoice in His love.

But many are not thinking of turkey and mistletoe, toys and goodies, corn cob pipes and button noses.  They are thinking of water.  Something as simple as water.  Something we let run freely from our taps without a second thought.  Something we bath in that is safe enough to drink.  Something we don't think twice about giving to our children.

Many.  1 billion people.  Many do not have clean drinking water.  But we can change that.

I can change it.

You can change it.



This year, the most wonderful time of the year, I am going to make a change.  I am going to help someone get clean drinking water.  And if you want to make this time of the year, a time to give back, a time to make a difference, a time to give clean water, please donate to Charity Water.

And since my birthday is Christmas Eve and there is so very little that I need, I pledge to give up my birthday so others may have water.

If you want to wish me a happy birthday, I'm asking you to give $3 so others may have clean drinking water.

It's Almost Christmas!

And by almost, I mean: 6 weeks.  6 WEEKS?!

This time last year, I had a 4 week-old baby and I was just trying to figure out how to be a mom.  For all of you parents out there, you know this is a time that can't quite be explained, but it's glorious in its own right.... let's leave it at that.  But more importantly, I had no time, energy, or brain power to plan Christmas baking; I didn't even make a single batch of my Grandma's shortbread.  *sigh*

This year though.... oh, this year there shall be baking.  Shortbread, peppermint patties, chocolate chip cookie dough truffles, buckeye bark, gingerbread cookie with eggnog frosting, pretzel turtles, and heck why not whiskey, caramel, bacon bark too!

I better get started!  This elf has a lot to do in 6 weeks :)

What will you be baking, creating, enjoying this season?