Christmas This Year
Here it is….Christmas season! Are you ready? Decorations up? Gift list completed? Shopping started? Plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day settled?I already made my case for doing Christmas differently in last week’s blog. This week, I thought I’d make it more hands on, and practical.If we are going to keep Christ in Christmas, what is that going to look like?First, find a way a to be Jesus to those who need Him. Look for creative ideas to be a blessing to some who are struggling. It might mean calling a couple of nursing homes to find a few people who rarely, if ever, have visitors. It might be volunteering for the Salvation Army or at the children’s hospital. Take advantage of The Blessing Tree in our lobby, which will give you fun way to do just that, to be a blessing to others.I trust you are making plans to worship on Christmas Eve. It’s hard for us to say that we are celebrating Christ’s birth when we are spending all this energy, time and resources on a celebration and can’t make the time to gather with his family to worship and commemorate his birth.Here are a couple of other practical suggestions:
- Sit down as a family and write out your Christmas season priorities.
- Decorate early and together….make it fun!
- Talk about the meaning and value of gift-giving (establish some guidelines).
- Research and tell the real story of Saint Nicholas (much better than the make-believe).
- Find a Christmas program at an area church and attend it.
- Schedule time in the evenings leading up to and on Christmas Day to read portions of the prophecies of the Messiah and the story of his birth.
More than anything, keep the season as uncluttered as possible and talk about the meaning of Jesus’ birth whenever possible. With all of the above, please don’t let yourself get dragged into extended family holiday drama and their expectations. It’s good to visit relatives, but it’s also good to just stay home for Christmas and create your own family tradition.It is a wonderful time of the year! Enjoy it!