Journal Your Christmas - Days 12, 14 & 15

I'm slowing getting caught up on my pages for the album ... days 12, 14 and 15 are below. I have the layout for 13 done, I just need to write my journaling in to complete that one.

Day 12: A page of journaling on our Christmas memories. The challenge was to use an element that we don't normally use while scrapbooking, so I chose to type my journaling.

Journalling:

Christmas wasn't what it could have been growing up. After my parents decided that they needed to move to Dallas so that Dad could go to seminary, the family Christmas disentigrated. There were hard feelings from the grandparents ... why would they choose to do this? Move away, go back to school, serve God? None of it made sense to them and one way that I distinctly remembered it being expressed was that our family Christmas shrank dramatically by the time Dad was in his first church. Granted there were substantial travel distances that would have had to be crossed, but, all the same, I don't think my grandparents would have made the trip. They didn't want to see us in our new home, with our new church, even though we were right were God wanted us to be. Christmas became just the four of us for the most part (although some years were spent with freinds). I think we missed out on some of that special time with grandparents, hearing stories of their Christmases growing up, and making traditions with them. While I desire us to some day have our Christmas in our own home ... with family and grandparents traveling to us ... I'm so thankful that my girls are making memories of Christmas with all their grandparents and will have those in the years to come.

Day 14: Journal about Christmas music or a favorite song. The song I picked is actually NOT my favorite Christmas song, but one that has been fixated in my head over the last few weeks as I've planned for this Christmas and worked on this album of Christmas memories.

Journaling:
Ten years ago I would NOT have said that this was my favorite song, but I've changed. My girls and my husband are so important to me, but without Jesus and what He did for us ... makes it all worth it.

Song lyrics (hidden under the front flap):
Heirlooms by Amy Grant

Up in the attic, down on my knees.
Lifetimes of boxes, timeless to me.
Letters and photographs, yellowed with years,
Some bringing laughter, some bringing tears.

Wisemen and shepherds, down on their knees,
Bringing their treasures to lay at his feet.
Who was this wonder, Baby yet king?
Living and dying; He gave life to me.

Time never changes,
The memory, the moment His love first pierced through me,
Telling all that I came from, and all that I live for,
And all that I'm going to be.
My precious savior is more than an heirloom to me.

Day 15: As those doing the class know, this was actually the page prompt for day 16, but I got them switched accidentally. Oh well. :)