The Scott Zoo: Merry Christmas...

I always try to take one week off at the end of the year so that I can spend time with the kids during Christmas break. It's one of my favorite times of the year because we are all together without much of a "have to do" routine.

So for Christmas, it was on Sunday this year, so we didn't open presents until after church, after lunch. We invited the sister missionaries over as well as the senior couple serving in our ward, the Reeds. That was a lot of fun. I usually don't get to sign up to have missionaries on holidays because their meals have already been taken care of, so as soon as I saw that Christmas hadn't been reserved, I booked it on the missionary meal calendar. Then I thought it would be nice to have the Reeds over as well.

Our upside down tree with
presents below

It's always a "white" Christmas at the Scott house

Now, quick backstory: I had made some scarves for the sisters and calendars with the Indy Temple for each sister and then one for the Reeds. I purchased three stockings and hung them with our stockings and put our traditional fruit snacks, pudding, chocolate oranges in them. I wasn't sure what to get Brother Reed for Christmas. He certainly didn't need a scarf.

As I walked around the stores over the two weeks before Christmas I carried a prayer in my heart that I would be guided in what to pick. I asked Eric what he thought and his first thought was a hat. I thought some more and the thought occurs to me that everyone needs a good pair of gloves during an Indiana winter. Gloves, that is what I was going to get.

On Christmas Eve, Eric had to make a run to Ace for something and still thought we should get Bro Reed a hat. As we walked in, there was a rack full of gloves. I stopped and tried some on. They were soft on the inside and I hoped that a men's large would fit. I told Eric I wanted to get gloves instead of a hat. Eric seemed, to me, to be a little disgruntled at my choice, but "if that's what you want to get him, then do it!" So I did.

Forward to Christmas day. Lunch was done and the missionaries hung around while we did presents. I first passed out their stockings. They kind of opened their gifts at the same time which made sense as they were getting the same things. Then it was Bro Reed's turn. I put his gloves in a Great Value plastic ware box. When he opened that up and pulled out the gloves, he was excited and looked at his wife with a smile on his face before telling us his story.

Early that week, they had picked someone up to take him somewhere he needed to be. As this guest was being dropped off, Brother Reed asked if there was anything else they could do for him. He said he could really use some gloves, so Brother Reed gave this gentleman his gloves from inside their car. Bro Reed hadn't replaced those gloves yet and now, he didn't have too.

That was my Christmas miracle this year. It's a memory I will alway cherish. (I wish I had a picture to show you?)

"And I wanted to get you a hat," said Eric with a tear rolling down his face.

I love those moments when you KNOW that God is in the details of your life and when you see the evidence of being an instrument in His hands. I think I'm going to have missionaries over for Christmas more often. :)

Eric had missionaries take turns passing out presents to the kids, which they then opened. I was so busy enjoying things, I didn't snap many pictures. When presents were done, it was time for the missionaries to go.