the LIGHT of the WORLD

tears well up in my eyes as i think about all that Christmas means to me and what a joy it is to now share it with my boys. more than jingle bells and mom's cheese danish, new pajamas on christmas eve and cookies for santa, more than evergreen trees and pretty packages, Christmas is Christ.

strolling the grounds of temple square in salt lake with every limb and branch aglow took my breath away. though i have been there many times at Christmas, it was the first time i'd seen the magic of millions of lights through new eyes as a wife and as a mother. the illumination impressed me greatly. not only was it breathtaking and enough to make one giddy and drunk in the christmas spirit, its' symbolism has been burned into my heart.

Light in the darkness. He marked the path and led the way. your Light in the wilderness. He is the Light which lights every man. Light which cannot be hid. my Light and my salvation. let your light so shine before men. bring up your children in light and truth. I am come to light the world.

i love the knowledge that we can always have a beautifully lit path even through times of terrible darkness if we will but rely on He who is the true LIGHT of the WORLD. and teaching my children that will be my greatest endeavor on this earth.

may we all remember that His birth and His life gives us all a reason to celebrate every day of our lives.

wishing His love and His peace to you and yours this christmas.

xoxo, jess and fam.

"Christmas is more than trees and twinkling lights, more than toys and gifts and baubles of a hundred varieties. It is love. It is the love of the Son of God for all mankind. It reaches out beyond our power to comprehend. It is magnificent and beautiful. It is peace. It is the peace which comforts, which sustains, which blesses all who accept it. It is faith. It is faith in God and His Eternal Son. It is faith in His wondrous ways and message. It is faith in Him as our Redeemer and our Lord. We testify of His living reality. We testify of the divinity of His nature. In our times of grateful meditation, we acknowledge His priceless gift to us and pledge our love and faith. This is what Christmas is really about. " Gordon B. Hinckley

god is not dead, nor doth he sleep!

soooo good. please take a minute to watch!

thanks to michelle for the link.

i'm dreaming... of a DIY christmas

so, i know most of you dear readers aren't poor college students like we are, but we could all use a little extra cash around the holidays, right?

so, i present to you our grand-felted-diy-extravaganza-christmas!

we got rid of our disgustingly cheap fake christmas tree in the big move and don't ever get real ones because we are never actually home for christmas. that and the fact that my boys stick EVERYTHING in their mouths. i know henry would be pooping pine needles for weeks! what's that? too much information? sorry 'bout that.

so, we went with something a little different this year:

do you see it? over there in the right hand corner? (yes, i know the glider is covering it up) oh, you need a closer look? oh, alright:

that would be 2 dead(ish) trees from our back yard cemented into 2 large galvanized pots we had lying around. leftover lights, a few PLASTIC yet festive ornaments, and a few diy felt and rik-rak ornaments (tutorial here) and voila... a fun and festive (and CHEAP) tree alternative. total cost? about $8.

and the stockings? oh the stockings. i'm in love. must admit, i saw them on etsy and while i am totally a proponent of buying things on etsy (obviously) i knew that a) i didn't have enough time to order them and get them here in time to enjoy them and b) i have mounds and mounds of beautiful bright felt that was begging to be used up for such a project. so easy, so simple, so funky. and that's how i like it. total cost? $0

owey loves them too. see his hand waving madly at the o? yep. he's pretty excited that the green one is just for him.

after i finished the tree and the stockings something was missing. aaaah yes, another easy way to use up that felt. a re-usable christmas chain. i love the way it looks, and i can use it over and over again. and my sis even pointed out that since it isn't made out of traditional christmas colors i could use it to countdown for ANY holiday! brilliant!

just cut strips of felt and ironed on some velcro i had in my stash. total cost? $0.

and of course we had to complete the mantle with a nativity. this is actually one of the few nativities we could find in CA when we were first married (it's embarrassing how difficult it is to find christ centered christmas items there). it isn't anything fancy, not an heirloom for sure. but does it remind us what this holiday is really about? yes indeedy. and i love seeing owey learn about baby jesus and his miraculous birth.

and don't forget about diego...

and there you have it. a diy christmas. owey approves!

and mom, if you're wondering why i am not in bed at this insane hour... henry is cutting yet another tooth. yup, 3 at once. i have a feeling i won't be sleeping much this week.

jingle bells, batman smells.

image found here
am sending out this year's christmas cheer complete with lovely picture of the erickson 4 (though getting o & h to both look at the camera AND smile, didn't happen this year. oh well. they're still cute.)

if you'd like to be on the nice list, send me your address asap to jessicamerickson(at)yahoo.com and i'll be sure your mailman delivers it with hot cocoa and candy canes. ok, maybe not the last part, but wouldn't that be nice?

don't you love december mail? me too! (hint, hint:)

in loving memory of fall... may she rest in peace.

these pictures are old, but when i woke up to 2 inches of snow this morning, i had to pull them out to remind me of happier times...

so long fall. we'll miss you. desperately.