Christmas = Busy! ... by Shannon

For many of us, the Christmas season = BUSY! This means we have to be intentional to keep all the clutter – the parties, the traveling, and, yes, even the presents – from obscuring the purpose for our celebrations, travels, and gift-giving. Often Christ, the One who is central to Christmas, becomes secondary to all the extras.

My husband Lee and I have only been married for three-and-a-half years, but we've already seen this busy-ness plague infect our celebrations. As we prepared to celebrate our first Christmas as a family of three last year, we asked for God's guidance to keep the Christmas season from becoming all about the trimmings. We decided that we would intentionally set aside Christmas morning as our sacred family time. No company (not even grandparents), no traveling, not even any telephone calls or Internet. We explained to our families that we're open to joining them for celebrations the weekend before or after Christmas Day and that they're welcome to join us in the afternoon on Christmas Day if they'd like to … but Christmas morning is off limits. It hasn't always been the most popular decision, but we knew it was the right one for us. As we prepare to welcome our second child to this world this coming Easter, it's refreshing to know that we won't have to juggle traveling with a baby and toddler on Christmas Day 2009!

I don't expect this to be the answer for every family to find some calm in the midst of the Christmas season, but it works for us. What works for your family? We are still relatively newlyweds, so I would love it if you could leave a comment with ways that you keep Christ central to your celebrations in the midst of the busy season!

24 Days of December... by Heather

... documenting the everyday things that make our Christmas ...

I originally got the idea of using photos to document our Christmas traditions from Ali Edward's blog. She has developed a routine of creating a December Daily album each year. Ali's ideas are beautiful, but I knew that I needed to scale back my ambitious plans a bit this year, being great with (4th) child and all.

My plan for this year is to fill a simple 5x7 album with photos and text. I made my book out of some chipboard and scrapbook papers, but you can just as easily exercise that 40% off coupon at your local craft store.


This year, I will try to take pictures whenever we do a family activity. Some of these are spontaneous, but I also took the time to brainstorm some of the traditions that we usually observe.

For our family, the list looks like this:

*decorating tree
*lying under the tree looking up at the lights
*playing with the nativities (we have kid-friendly ones in our house)
*decorating gingerbread house
*making gingerbread cookies
*reading Christmas stories
*looking at lights
*Advent readings
*Christmas cards
*Charlie Brown Christmas special
*sparkling cider on Christmas eve

...etc.

By brainstorming a bit, I know to have the old camera ready to go and capture what I can.

My next step is to use my photo editing software to type some text onto the pictures. This way, when I print my photos out at the local lab, the journaling will be already done! Since I'm using a 5x7 album, I'll still have some room around the 4x6 photos to add text if I need to.

I will also try and get some Christmas Scriptures typed up to intersperse through the album.
There are so many options with this idea. You could incorporate your Advent readings into your album, take photos of your children's artwork or wish lists. What about your favorite recipe or where you buy your tree? Do you have any special Christmas Eve services that you attend?
You could try different sizes or styles of albums. If you're not ready to do a "big" project, you could start with a 4x6 brag book. Just print your photos and slip in a piece of cardstock with a description opposite your photo.

For me, the goal is not to produce a magazine-ready product, but to have a tangible reminder each year of our Christmas and the meaning behind it.

I encourage you to "ponder these things in your heart" and document them for your families this Christmas!

Jesus is the Light...

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4-5)

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Revelation 21:22-23)

Show -n-Tell...

How is your Christmas season coming along? Up until now, we're been focusing on preparations for the Advent season. But now it's truly Christmastime.

Would you share your Christmas with the readers of our little blog?

We are looking for photos of specific decorations for a special set of posts that we'll be doing in the coming days. Would you please consider snapping a shot of...

... your front door
... your entry hall
... your mantle
... your Christmas tree
... your special Christmas collection (snowmen, gingerbread men, stars, snowflakes, cardinals, whatever you collect!)

We would LOVE to see what wonderful ideas our readers have for decorating this special season!

You can email your photos to CelebratingChristmas@gmail.com. We'll include your first name only with your photo. And of course, we'll not even mention your location. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let us know and we'll just call you "A Friend." We need all submissions by December 7th.

Thanks for your help!

Get Ready, Get Set, Go!

Well, friends... We hope that you have found what we have found during this week of Thanksgiving: our blessings are without measure!!!

And now the turkey is almost gone and the scarecrows are back in the attic. So for those of us who have a hard time getting into Christmas before Thanksgiving...

It's time!

Tomorrow is the first Sunday in Advent. Is your wreath ready? Do you have candles to light? Have you selected the devotional you're going to read? If not... let's get going! Don't pressure yourself to make the perfect Advent wreath. There are wonderful Advent rings available in just about every Christian book store. And if you prefer a simplified, minimalist look, feel free to grab three purple, one pink and one white votive candles and place them on a glass plate. We did just that with items we purchased from the local dollar store. This Advent wreath cost only $4 to make.

Many Advent devotional readings are available online. You can Google "Advent devotionals" or some variation of that concept and select just the right set of readings for you. It's not too late.

Our family usually lights the Advent wreath on Sundays and opens the Advent calendar during daily family devotions every year. But we have always done both with just the people living under our roof. This year we are going to try something different. On the Sundays of Advent, we are having guests over for Sunday dinner. I know! Almost no one does that on a regular basis anymore. But we're going to give it a shot. Tomorrow... Gramma is coming, and we are so excited!

How are you doing Advent this year? Will you take a quick minute and leave a comment, sharing your ideas with others? We know you'll be a blessing...

Advent Conspiracy...

Happy Thanksgiving...

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to he Lord of lords:

His love endures forever.

Psalm 136:1-3