THE GRINCH

"Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."
Dr. Seuss

The Grinch realizing the true meaning of Christmas.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love the neon pink Under Armour shirt and the handcrafted earrings designed by a college art student I got for Christmas. Who doesn’t love to look cute when they work out? And don’t get me started about my jewelry fetish. But I have a little secret. My favorite gifts of 2012 weren’t under the tree. God showered me with Christmas blessings big and small that could never be found at any mall:

• Running into a dear friend at Starbucks two days before Christmas, even though she lives in California and was only in Oxford for a handful of hours 
• Snuggling on the couch with my family watching Rudolph
• The outpouring of prayers and love from friends and family while my father in law was in the hospital
• A pain au chocolat for Christmas breakfast – it was like spending Noel in Paris, well almost

A scrumptious pain au chocolat, just like I eat in France.

• Gorgeous photos of my characters from a cover shoot for my newest book 
  
• My hubby making it home from Cleveland just in time for the Christmas Eve church service
  
•  A liver transplant for my father-in-law - literally the gift of life
  
• Snowflakes the size of Hershey kisses tumbling from the sky
  
•  Building a snowman with a celery smile and a Santa hat

When my latest novel gets its cover, it might look something like this

• And most importantly the gifts Jesus offers me this Christmas, and last Christmas and next Christmas and every day of every year. He created me. He gave me all of the blessings I have. He gave me a Prince Charming of a husband and four beautiful, unique kiddos. He gave me the sweetness of peppermint mochas and the focus I find on my yoga mat. He gave me the gift of writing and of laughter. I could fill this website with the gifts God’s given me, but the greatest of these is love. The kind that lasts forever. The kind of love that would do anything for me, no matter what I’ve done. And that, my friends, is not available at Macy’s or Amazon or dare I say it, not even at J. Crew.
  

Did you get any pantookas or jing-jinglers in your stocking? What was your favorite Christmas gift this year?