"Wow! Christmas lights! Look everyone, Christmas lights! CHRISTMAS LIGHTS! Wow!!!" This memory of our young nephew comes back every year as we take a detour to slowly look at a neighbor's beautifully lite yard. This year it was our youngest pointing out the window and squealing at each new house. The simple joys of Christmas. My childhood is full of simple Christmas joys, memories, and traditions. Traditions galore! My parents embraced them because we, the children, clung to them. We listened to the same Amy Grant Christmas album each year as we decorated our tree. We played the same "Puzzle Wars" each Christmas Eve. We called to check that our clocks were 100% accurate, and then counted down the seconds until Christmas. We then would stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning opening presents. This week I was looking on Facebook for fun Christmas and winter activities for the kids. (One downside of Florida living, you have to "make" seasons instead of having them simply "happen" around you.) Snowfall at the mall's Christmas tree. Pictures with Santa. Live nativity scene. Gingerbread house making. Water Christmas parade. So many choices! Which made me stop and think - do I really want to make this season a time of busyness and hustle and bustle? Or end up as the llama in a book I read to Josiah, who falls to the ground proclaiming "llama, llama, holi-drama"? Looking back and thinking forward, I have thought of two balances to use in weighing our family's activity choices. Two thoughts to keep in mind before adding on "one more thing" to this month. The first, Christ. It's an overused phrase "keep Christ in Christmas", but maybe us Christians should take it more seriously. And make it purposeful. What decorations are filling our homes? What books are we reading to our children? What music are we playing? What are we doing this season to keep Jesus in our hearts and minds? One thing we started December 1st was reading part of the Christmas story (from our Bibles) each night and adding one piece of the nativity. I made a simple nativity set so our "special" set could stay out of reach - and because we wanted a whole nativity set visible all year long. The second balance, building family memories and traditions. Time spent together building a strong family unit that our children know they are a vital part of. Our family is still young, so our traditions are just being made. I'm excited to see in 5 years what we have purposed to do every year and has become one of our traditions. I AM looking forward to using my grandma's cookie recipe and decorating cookies, to singing Christmas carols at the nursing home with our youth group, to building a gingerbread houses, to more drives down streets to see all the Christmas decorations, to our church's Christmas Eve candlelight service. To end these Christmas thoughts, I go back to the start - O come let us adore Him! Let the manger be our focus, the greatest gift we could ever receive! Let us be like the shepherds who, after seeing Jesus, "returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen...” (Luke 2:20) Or like the wise men who "saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts..." (Matthew 2:11) Praising God, worshipping, and offering our gifts. That is the outcome I desire from the season. Would there be a better way to end 2017 and begin a New Year? Merry Christmas, from my family to yours!End Note: If you would like to use the Christmas story reading plan, you can find all the information here: www.facebook.com/StoryofThisAndersonLife/posts/1482766891840796
Or if you’d like to make your own nativity set, that free download can be found at: www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNativity#.WifcUmBOmEd
2 Comments
Santa Clause... the Elf on the Shelf... presents... Frosty... Rudolph... more presents... These are the thoughts swirling around my head as we decorate for this magical time of the year, and our now 4-year-old son is asking how Santa will get into our house and bring him presents. Because, let's face it, the one thing my 4-year-old really cares about is his presents. Rewind a few years, to Austin and my first Christmas together, and that's when this debate began. It's the age old difference of family traditions. His family had presents from Santa whereas I was the one who told my friend "Santa isn't real"... and my mom received a phone call later that day. Oops. That first Christmas together we realized the polar opposite sides we held - but since it was just the two of us and we weren't planning on sitting in Santa's lap, it really wasn't a dilemma to hash out. And that has led us to today. Last year our just-turned-three-year-old really had no interest in Santa. When Daddy wore his Santa outfit on Christmas Day, he called him Daddy. But today, "Mommy how will Santa get into our house?" "Can we make cookies for Santa?" "What's Christmas magic?" "How can an elf fly?"... made me realize I can not simply deflect by saying, "go ask your dad." We need to be in agreement. So what is Christmas all about? Today I wrote on our chalkboard "Oh come let us adore Him". That's what I want this season to instill in my heart, my husband's heart, and my children. I want to be taken back to the angels proclaiming, "glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill to men." I want to be like Mary who pondered these things in her heart. I want my children to begin to understand the gift we have been given, that's far greater than anything that could be wrapped and placed under our tree - and the joy that comes from giving out of love for others. I want to go back to the start of this entry and write words like Jesus... Immanuel... GOD WITH US... peace to men... fall down and worship...
I'm not answering the question of what we decided about the "extras" that have been brought to Christmas. Partly because we haven't figured it all out and partly because that's a family-to-family decision. But hopefully you can be encouraged to think again about what traditions are adding to the heart of the season and which traditions are taking away from celebrating Jesus. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |