Keep Calm, It's Only 40 days until Christmas

Do not! I repeat, DO NOT allow from now to Christmas be a complete whirlwind! With all the preparing and shopping and planning that has to be done, let us not neglect the preparation of our hearts. If we want to keep Christ in Christmas, it begins with checking ourselves. I understand the prepping and organizing is fun, well maybe for some of us and maybe for others it's no fun at all and anxiety inducing. So how does our family keep Christ the focus during the holidays? First, we worship Christ ALL year long, not just on Easter and Christmas. But you say, "we only have 40 days until Christmas." This is true, and it's not too late to let the real preparations begin.

A Heart Check

Christmas is not for being the best gift giver. Or for running around like mad. Or for being the hostess with the mostest. Unless this is your gifting, the holidays are no time to begin practicing. If we are physically present but our hearts are far from arriving, perhaps it would be better not to make the gourmet meal from scratch and ditch the hand-made gift, keeping you up at night for hours on end. Maybe the better way would be to stick to what you do well. I've learned that while I enjoy being in the kitchen, I'd much rather be around the people I am celebrating with. For me, this means planning ahead and having all things made before our guests arrive. I'm into hospitality and decorating, but I am also into simple. What does it look like for you or your family? My encouragement is this: figure it out now to avoid the whirlwind. 

Here are some ideas:

Shop early, beat the crowds, beat the lines

Shop online: Amazon/Amazon Prime Now, if you live in a major city Google Express, use Ebates to earn cash back for shopping online, find promo codes (Ebates also helps to apply coupons) 

On the flip-side, ditch the coupons and sales (you can't buy your time back. Saving a couple of bucks here and there may not be worth it)

Ask friends and family for their wishlist

Have a Secret Santa or Elfster 

Create a list of things to do, prioritize it and start erasing the things that REALLY don't  need to be done

Know ahead of time the people you want to visit

Allow for changes and curve balls (sickness, flat tire, overcooked chicken, etc.)

Be flexible

Christmas Countdown

Create a bucket list (I'll share ours with you in a few days)

Instead of giving the kids a treat or a trinket to open every day as part of their Advent, they open an envelope that has an activity. For example: camp out in the living room or have a tickle party. 

The Story of Christmas by Mary Packard

" The calendar features 24 jewel-like miniature board books nestled in a three-paneled, stand-alone backer. The books are numbered 1 through 24, and, like the peek-a-boo windows on an Advent calendar, are meant to be opened one per day from December 1st through Christmas Eve. Read in sequence, they capture the magic of the first Christmas, from Gabriel's visit to Mary (Book 4) to the Three Wise Men gazing at the star (Book 9) to Jesus' birth (Book 24). Each book is one of four different trim sizes and features a gold thread loop so that after it's read, it can be hung on the Christmas tree."

What God Wants For Christmas: An Interactive Nativity for Children (Book and CD) by Barbara Rainey 
This one gets me every year! It's a countdown to be done a week out from Christmas.

Note: You may be crying at the end. I sob as our kids figure out what God wants. 

"Christmas in their hands. In their hearts. And out of the box. Unwrap the real meaning and wonder of Christmas in each colorful box of this interactive nativity for children. The beautifully illustrated poem tells God's Christmas story through each character. With them, your child journeys to Bethlehem, and to the surprise ending of box #7, peeking inside the heart of God."

Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional 
by Marty Machowski 

 
This is a wonderful devotional! The activities take a little more time and effort, but oh man it's good!
"Christmas traditions become a treasured part of a family’s heritage, passed down from generation to generation. This brand new, four-week devotional guides your family on an unforgettable Advent journey, exploring some of the most fantastic prophecies in the Bible and how God fulfills them in Christ. From Bible devotions that tell the Christmas story through the eyes of the prophets to an original Christmas short story called “Bartimaeus,” Prepare Him Room helps you build family Christmas traditions around Christ. The memorable and meaningful activities, songs, and stories of Prepare Him Room will become the fabric of your family’s Christmas memories. So gather them to watch the amazing gospel story unfold every December for generations to come!"

Praying we prepare Him room, and when Christmas is over, our worship of Him continues. May the holidays be a time of glorifying and magnifying our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). 

xo

M.Y.

Fall Bucket List: #13 Create a Tree of Thanks

It's November 1st folks! Countdown to Thanksgiving begins! 

Last night the kids and I culminated our last day of October by creating a Tree of Thanks. We used postal wrapping paper to paint the trunk and grass; you could also make branches. And then we taped it to the wall. It's about 3 feet tall. 

Over the next 30 days, we will use coffee filter leaves we made a few weeks back to write what we are grateful for. 

 

The leaves can be taped on. I still need to add 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to the trunk of the tree, 

"Give thanks in everything."

Lastly, every day we will read a thankfulness scripture.

 Today's verse is,

 "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever," Psalm 107:1. 

Be sure to share your tree of thanks! And all the things you are thankful to our good Lord for!

xo,

M.Y.