Let’s just say I understand why parents go overboard at Christmas and buy their kids everything in sight. The motorcycle group we’re in went shopping this weekend to help provide Christmas for some kids in our community and we had fun.

Do you know how many cute things they have for girls? The doublewide husband and I picked out presents on a list one little girl had written for Santa. We ran through everything and soon had our buggy full — I just had to get one more pair of leggings and then found a pair of cute jeans with designs on the back pockets. Little girls gotta have some bling! Oh and the pajamas with fluffy cats and dogs on them…

The rest of the group shopping with us had lists from the other children. Yep, we just about bought the place out and then headed out with bags full of loot. This is one of the things I love about our small community. The church group we joined with to do this had chili, vegetable soup, corn bread and all the extras waiting for us back at the church house. We ate till we were ready to pop.

It was an action packed few days that included a local church’s drive-thru nativity. After looking at the scenes, we went inside the fellowship hall for (you guessed it) soup, sandwiches and snacks of all kinds. The moral to this story is — find a church in the South to attend — they love celebrations and they feed you. Church lady food is some of the best around.

To round out the weekend, I also worked in a neat experience with a Journey through Bethlehem at another church in the area. My friend Shaylah and I experienced life in a Bethlehem village, had some warm apple cider and picked out beads to make bracelets. We strolled through different tent stations that reflected an aspect of life in Bible times and included  a manger scene with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. They were guarded by animals like those that might have been in the stable that night so many years ago. In the last station, a lady in Biblical dress shared the salvation story and told us some interesting facts about the donkey standing at her side. Did you know donkeys have a marking in the shape of the cross on their backs?

If you ever have the chance to help buy gifts for somebody or see a live nativity put on by your local church, don’t miss out on it. It might be a little chilly outside, but the experience is well worth it.

I’ll treasure the memories of all my little trips around town this weekend. I think my Christmas has officially been made.