Merry Christmas and Happy Feature Friday!

Since it is Christmas, we decided it’d be really fun to swap and share some Christmas memories with you all! We reached out to Lizzy Jensen of The Small Seed and Kristi Waite of Grace Supply Co., to ask them what Christmas means to them and to tell us about some of their favorite Christmas pasts. We loved getting to know why Christmas is so special to each of them. Both gals are doing some incredibly inspirational things, so definitely check out their sites in the links above and read on to learn more about them!

@thesmallseed

: Tell us a little about yourself and The Small Seed.

: My name is Lizzy Jensen, and 3 years ago I started The Small Seed, a non-denominational blog about faith. It was my way to put my own faith “out there” and to hopefully share the joy and purpose that following God has brought to my life. Now there is nothing that brings me greater joy than hearing how it’s blessed someone else!

: What does Christmas mean to you?

 
: Christmas means two of my favorite things, celebrating the life of Jesus Christ, and giving to those I love! This year has been so special as my oldest is almost 4 and is really understanding the story of Jesus’ birth. When I asked her why it was the most important story ever she responded, “Because He loves us.” Out of the mouth of babes right?

: Do you have a favorite Christmas memory or time when you encountered Jesus during the holiday season?

: About 10 years ago I served a mission for my church in Croatia. It was the most amazing time, and also the most lonely time of my life. I had so many times where I had no one to turn to but my Savior, but it was in the loneliest times that I learned that He is always there. My first Christmas I remember waking up extra early and kneeling to thank my Heavenly Father for the gift of His Son. As I prayed a warm and tender feeling washed over me, almost like a big hug, and I felt so much love from Him, and from my Savior. Although it wasn’t a Christmas where I was surrounded by family or friends, it will be a Christmas I always remember as one of the most special.

@waitkristiwaite

: Tell us about yourself and Grace Supply Co.

: Well hi, my name is Kristi Waite! I’m a 25 year old fashion, life, encouragement and Jesus rules blogger. My main goal behind everything I do, is to help others or make others feel encouraged and reminded as to how awesome they are. I am also the owner and designer behind Grace Supply Co. Grace Supply Co is a small business I started about a year ago where I design and sell purses. My grandma taught me how to sew (she’s amazing) and I ended up loving it and found it a great stress reliever. I’m hoping to add other goodies like graphic tees and pillows in the next year. The best part is, 10% of each purchase is donated to our Veterans! I came up with the name “Grace” because of God’s seriously kick butt grace. Jesus is a pretty great dude. Oh and if you want to know a few other things about me, I LOVE Star Wars (you should see my bedroom), I drink way too much coffee, I want to save every animal on the planet and I love being outdoors. I recently started a monthly bible verse/encouraging goody subscription, so if you need a monthly pick me up, you should totally check it out, it’s free! Ok, I’d say that just about sums me up 🙂

: What does Christmas mean to you?

: Who doesn’t love Christmas? As long as we remember the true meaning behind it and don’t let the stress of finding the perfect gifts get in the way of how awesome Christmas is, it’s the best. I mean how cool is it that Jesus came to earth for each and everyone of us, He came to bring joy and show us His great love. Jesus came to earth to die on the cross for all of our sins. Holy moly, that’s crazy and awesome and shows us what God’s love really looks like. Besides all that amazingness, Christmas is the best time to love everyone, tell others about Jesus, give what we can and be truly grateful for this life. Christmas can be a great time for healing and renewed strength and is also the best time to eat a lot of cookies, ham, pie and other good food. I love food.

: Do you have a favorite Christmas memory or time when you encountered Jesus during the holiday season?

: My favorite Christmas memory where I encountered Jesus wasn’t exactly on Christmas but happened a few weeks ago. I walk my dogs everyday and had made friends with an older couple down the road, who are unbelievably cute. I noticed they were gone for a couple weeks and had found out my buddy John had a stroke. He was ok, but couldn’t get around without a cane, his eyesight was still poor and his left side wasn’t functioning 100%. BUT with all the problems he was facing, he was still as hilarious, happy and excited as he was every other day. I baked them cookies to bless them, but instead was invited over to hang out with them and I was the one being blessed. Isn’t that what Christmas is all about? We want to bless others, but end up being the one that is truly blessed. Sometimes the smallest acts of kindness lead to the best friendships.