Keeping CHRIST in Christmas!

This season really does start to make me crazy as I put on myself the need to do all the extras that make Christmas what it is "suppose" to be. However, that is just what I am being challenged to not do this year. On Sunday, our pastor spoke on having a simple Christmas this year. Making it all about Christ and not about us. And really when we get down to it, all the "extras" are really about us. We want to have the traditions with our kids and we make these things a priority. So, I was challenged when Pastor Gary mentioned that we are no different than the people of Bethlehem...we did not make room for Jesus. We do not make room for Him in our life at Christmas and we don't make him a priority. So I know for a fact that we do not want that to be true of our home. We have always made the celebration about Jesus versus Santa and I guess I thought that was good enough. I think I have over compensated with other stuff to make our girls not feel like they "missed out" of the whole Santa pull. In doing so, I have done the same thing we were trying to pull away from by not doing Santa, I have made Christmas all about us.

So I have been contemplating what to give up and some how God has made it so that certain circumstances make it easier to do so. We are not going to be writing a letter and sending cards to everyone we have ever known this year. I am going to send a photo card to those who I know pray for our family so that they can continue to do so.....I use the Christmas photo cards as prayer cards throughout the year. A different family each week is prayed over and it helps me to use the pictures.

Second thing to go, excess spending just to spend. We usually only buy three gifts for our girls for Christmas. We figure if it was good enough for Jesus...why change it! That will remain the same, but I am not going to be able to buy all of my nieces and nephews, sisters and brothers gifts this year. I just can't do it. And truly, I am so much more all about the memories we make together anyway, so I will figure out something to "give" them instead. My first thought, take all 10 kids to the lake house for a cousin sleepover which would allow all parents to go on a date night. We'll see. Still praying over this one as it really causes me to be sad that I can't buy them something. God is still working on this one yet I know they don't put getting or not getting a present from me as how much I love them. It's my issue.

Third thing to go, parties. We are invited to lots of parties and people kind of expect you to come. So I am going to bow out of them as they usually involve extra baking, buying and stress. We don't need that right now. We need peace as we get ourselves prepared to celebrate Jesus' birth. So we will do the girls' Christmas programs at church and I am hosting my co-op mom's meeting next Monday night while the family goes to Bible Study Fellowship, but after that we are done. No more. So don't be offended if you ask us to a party and we say no. We need time to be a family, playing games together, watching old movies, reading great stories, worshiping our Lord. We need time to be still before God and really allow Him to meet us in these moments before Christmas. How can we find that time if we do not be still? In order to do that, we must say no to some stuff. I guarantee you that doing that will ruffle some feathers. I just hope the people who get ruffled are able to one day understand and that God will give us the right words to say to calm those feathers if needed.

Lastly, we are not putting out lights this year. I am making that decision for my husband. He hates it. He really does. He does it for us. His girls always tell him that we are the only house that doesn't have them out. So what?! We also are the only house on our street that doesn't have Santa come and that homeschools, so why start being like everyone else in this area?! We are different by choice most of the time and truly why should we make him be more stressed at this time of year just to be like the neighbors?! So I am saying no to that this year. Let's instead spend the time Matt would have used to put up the lights to go down to our friends mission and help put Christmas boxes together for those who don't have anything for Christmas. Better way to spend our time for sure.

Our plan in how to use this extra time is to flip it for being God's hands and feet during this season. We want to serve with our friends with the boxes and possibly through our church if we find a way to do so. We want to help our neighbors with their tasks if needed. We want to be home spending quiet time together. We want to have our home filled with love, laughter and peace. We would love to invite our neighbors over for a soup/bread meal or maybe a cookie/cocoa night but that will depend on if I can do that without making it all about the food and decor having to be "perfect". We also want to spend time with grandparents more. We have lost both of our grandmas recently and we both cherish those times so much. We want our girls to have that time with each set of our parents. We know those moments change you in wonderful ways. So, pray for the Miller's to continue to peel away the stuff of Christmas that make it all about show and glow. We want to shine for Jesus only and take time to sit and meditate on God's Word.