Merry Christmas

Image ~ pixabay

However It Is Given

I read a short story in which the author had been pining that her husband usually doesn't get her anything for Christmas until she tells him what she wants. Or she buys it herself and puts a tag on it from him because, after all, he pays for it. She usually chooses her own gift, wraps it, and puts it under the tree. But she doesn't really like this approach to getting a gift. She wants him to think of something for her himself and put it under the tree nicely wrapped. I think we all understand her feelings.

A gift connects two people in some positive, heartfelt way. While choosing a gift, thoughts are about the person we're giving it to, their interests or perhaps their need. We have that person on our mind during the giving process. The gift is in some manner an affirmation of the person receiving it.

The author writes about the time her husband surprised her with a special gift and made that a Christmas she remembers with fondness. Yet, in spite of all the brooding over her husband's usual way at Christmas, she wanted her friend to pick out a gift for herself. At least she was honest enough to say that she had neither the time nor the energy to do the shopping. But she did want to give a gift.

I'm wondering, how is this any different from her husband's manner of giving? It's okay for her. Not okay for him. We all have our blind spots, double standards, unfulfilled expectations, call them for what they are. Why is it that we so often fail to see ourselves with the very foibles we accuse others? We so often attribute positive motivations to what we do ourselves, yet interpret those same actions in negative ways when someone else is the doer of them, especially when it affects us personally.

While the emphasis at Christmas is on giving generously, it's also a time of receiving graciously. Receiving can often be just as much a virtue as giving--if we receive with a grateful heart that in some form or fashion, we are the object of another person's positive thoughts. Even if it's ever-so-slight. However awkwardly they may be expressing it, and however it may not rise to our expectations.

Image via Pixabay

Christmas Read Alouds for Children

Christmas isn't far away, and then there are the 12 Days of Christmas afterward that can be a great time to remind children about giving and caring about others, or just Christmas fun reading. Sharing a podcast ink with you today from Sarah MacKenzie of Read Aloud Revival. She's sharing her favorite Christmas novels and short stories for reading aloud. Of course, the older children can read them themselves, or read to the younger siblings.

To go to Sarah's podcast, just click here. You'll find a treasure of other podcasts and articles as well!

A Christmas Delight

Christmas in America is a blend of traditions, many arising from European countries. Festivities are, in part, a glimpse back to years gone by, making connections to ancestors' celebrations.

Christmas trees cross cultures and are a relatively new tradition, believed to have begun in Germany in the 16th century. Although artificial trees are becoming popular, bringing a tree home from the tree farm or the tree lot is still a cherished tradition for many families.

Once when our girls were little during our time in Venezuela, we had to get a plastic tree (and the entire apartment smelled like a new shower curtain), but other than that, we've always brought in a live one. To me, keeping the tree real is in harmony with keeping Christmas real.

One evening recently we settled in to watch the documentary "European Christmas," narrated and directed by Rick Steves. He gives us a look into Europe's rich history, tradition and ancestry of Christmas celebrations.

As in America, each country has its blend of Christian and non-Christian elements. It was all beautiful and enchanting, but what inspired me the most, although perhaps not explicitly intended, was the thread that runs through the traditions--the celebration of the birth of the Christ child.

Viewing "European Christmas" encouraged me to look at the aspects of Christmas that express and reinforce my faith rather than bemoan how we struggle against commercialism and anti-Christian sentiment in our current culture at this time of year. It gave me a broader lens through which to view the positive aspects of the celebration that connects many cultures around the world.

I highly recommend viewing "European Christmas." If your family is of European descent, you may find it especially enlightening, but I'm sure all will find it to be a Christmas delight as you sense the joy and wonder of how Christmas is celebrated in this part of the world.

We watched "European Christmas" on Amazon Prime, but you can also view it on Rick Steves' website. If you click the image, it will take to there.

Weekend Daybook

My Weekend Daybook is intended to offer brief glimpses of my simple life, thinking that my dear grandchildren may one day be interested in knowing little tidbits about Nana.

Outside my window...
Christmas decorations are going up. The nativity has been set in the front yard, a 4-ft wreath aglow with lights has been hung on the house, welcoming candles placed in the windows. Next door there are inflatables again this year, lying limp, sprawled across their lawn during the day outside our kitchen window. Non-inspiring.


Around the house...
We like to get fresh trees, so we stopped at a local Christmas tree lot and chose a thin-ish one. I decided this year to use mostly vintage items on it from over the years. We have several glass bulbs and a few other ornaments that we got our first couple of Christmases--almost 50 years ago.

Thinking...
About those inflatables. They're on a timer and begin to arise from the ground at 5:00. The family is gone during the day, and is greeted by its happy glow as they return home after dark. The plastic puddle is out of their sight during the day. But not ours. Ugh.

Looking forward to... 
Finishing the study/teaching prep on the Book of Esther and getting back to my counseling classes. I took a break these past several months to devote time to Esther, and alas, found when I got ready to register for more classes that I am now out of sync with the schedule. But these have been good months with great benefit, so I am content with my progress nevertheless.

Thankful...
For the opportunity to teach the narrative of Esther. It has been good to see how God worked in His providence to preserve the lineage of Jesus Christ, who came in the fulfillment of time as our Redeemer and Savior. AND to be reminded that He still works today--in the world and in my life. He works all things together for good for those who love Him, according to His purpose--and that is the key.

Learning...
That in ancient manuscripts Naman's tens sons who were hanged on the gallows were listed one per line, margin-justified.

Pondering...
The funeral of President George H.W. Bush this week and the honorable tribute paid to him. Thinking how the presence of the casket symbolized the dignity of the President and offered a focal point for others to convey their tribute to him as they viewed it, the representative of the one who was lying within. I thought how a diminutive urn with ashes could not rise to such an occasion, the earthly body simply burned in disregard.

In the kitchen...
Prepared a new-to-us meal this week from a friend's recipe book--Brunswick Stew. It's a blend of chicken, ground beef, and ground pork, with some ketchup and barbeque sauce to add some flavor. The recipe includes creamed corn, which My Beloved can't have, so I left that out. Took some to my parents, and they added the corn.

In the sewing room...
Nothing happening in there for awhile except for minor alterations. Thankful for my serger that makes altering hems a breeze.

Brought a Smile...
We live by a mostly unused railroad. The local railway club runs a train on holiday weekends, and all during December the Christmas train passes by with its festive lights. We often step out to the back porch as it passes, and our grandchildren help us wave when they are visiting. The engineer blows the whistle as he goes by. Hearing the whistle this weekend brought back the memory of the children when they were here in October waving at the Punkin' Pickin' Train.


Reading...

Esther's Gospel: The God Who Is There by Tim Merewin.

It's one of the books I've read for the Esther series. It isn't academic or a commentary, but rather gives points of application. Merwin also relates the Gospel to the narrative of Esther as it progresses.

What's Not to Like About Christmas?

A friend commented today that her husband doesn't like Christmas. The overshadowing commercial aspect can seem like a cloudy overcast that creeps in earlier each year, hardly allowing time to ponder the significance of Thanksgiving. Stores transition overnight from Halloween displays to Christmas decor. No, I take that back. This year I noticed it slipping in right after the July 4th Independence Day celebration. That's half the year devoted to Christmas prep! Of course, the longer the prep becomes, the thinner the wallet becomes. Good news for the market. Not such good news for the budget.

The sad thing about it, though, is that most of the preparation is for the non-Christian aspect of the holiday rather than for the birth of Christ — even for those of us who are Christian. Yes, we say we give gifts because the wise men brought gifts to Jesus, or even that we give gifts to represent that Jesus Himself is THE gift to the world. But, in reality, the focus tends to be the temporal gifts, not the Eternal Giver.

The act of giving is one aspect that intersects both the cultural and Christian spirit of Christmas. Today it's cast more in terms of "gifting," but referring to it rather in terms of "giving" brings a spiritual aspect to our generosity of the season. And letting it flow beyond family and friends, letting it reach out to those who are in need... that is truly the heart of giving at Christmas.

Yes, we are in the world; we are in our culture. Yet, we do not have to be OF it. How we celebrate Christmas depends on our mindset and the inclination of our heart. Christmas as it is today is part of our culture, and we can enjoy the festivity of it with family, friends, and neighbors, yet view it with eyes that see our own Christmas meaning. 

So we don't withdraw from the celebration, but rather, we add our own voice to how it's celebrated. Forgo the holly jolly Christmas cards and opt for ones that share the story of Jesus. We have a manger scene in our yard, and the first Christmas when our new neighbors moved in, they commented on it. The following year they had one in their yard.

I recall going to a Christmas party a few years ago where one of the games was to wander through the house and see if we could determine the number of nativity scenes the host had sitting around. They had collected more than 40 of them over the years! If you have children at home, beginning a tradition of adding a nativity each year would enhance your intent to bring Christ central to it. Advent activities are also a good way to bring Christ into focus as we await His birth.

And, then, there's the music and the movies that strengthen one aspect of Christmas over another.  Let's face it, Rudolph just doesn't make my list. Besides, the bottom line to the movie is that in order to be accepted into the group, you have to be brought in by somebody important. Having a shiny red nose is, well, just unacceptable... until the popular guy says you've got what it takes. While some Christmas movies don't rise much higher than Rudolph, there are still many good movies and documentaries that will encourage your festivities as well as your faith.

And, of course, worshiping with our local church congregation each week, the singing of carols, the Scripture reading of the coming of Christ, and sharing in the anticipation of advent is first and foremost on our list for a joyous, contemplative Christmas season.

Christmas need not be discouraging if we look more with spiritual eyes than with cultural ones. And if we listen with ears attuned to the melody of Jesus in the jingle of the bells.

Though creation may be a majestic organ of praise,

it cannot reach the compass of the golden canticle—

Incarnation! 

There is more in that than in creation, more melody in Jesus in the manger, 

than there is in worlds on worlds rolling their grandeur round the throne of the Most High.

- Charles S. Spurgeon

Image via pixabay

Face to Face

Several years ago I decided that I wanted to know more about Jesus, so for the past several years during Advent and Lent particularly, I've read books that give me a deeper, broader understanding of  my Savior. Doing so has not only enhanced my celebration of His coming to earth, but has also given me a deeper appreciation of who He is and the Father's desire for His children to be conformed to the image of His Son.

Currently, I'm reading Face to face with Jesus: Seeing Him as He really Is by Randy Alcorn. It's a daily devotional with 200 entries. It's intended to be read throughout the year, so it will take me past Christmas and into the New Year. I thought I would read a few entries each day, but I'm finding that I prefer to read a couple entries and pause to ponder.

God made us, and we were made for God. It's God we long for, and Jesus, God's Son, brings the Father to us. Ultimately, God's greatest gift is himself. We need the savior, and he has a name: Jesus (meaning "God saves.")      ~ Randy Alcorn

A Turn Toward Joy

I stopped by to see my mother this morning, and talk naturally turned to Christmas now that Thanksgiving has come and gone. The opening gate of the Christmas race is upon us, although Halloween is vying for that position as we've seen Christmas decor in the stores for more than a month already. The powers-that-be know that we'll keep shopping until the closing bell at the midnight hour, no matter when the race begins.

For many of us, Christmas has deeper meaning than shopping and gift-giving. For us, our thoughts can meander through the various facets of our cultural celebrations, and we can enjoy many of its colors. We hold tightly to the eternal and loosely to that which soon dims and fades.

For some, though, the giving of gifts can easily become a burden. I was saddened to hear of my mother's dread of going through the season once again. And yet, I can understand how overwhelming it is to her as she thinks about the physical aspect of shopping itself. She has difficulty getting around these days and tires easily. I encouraged her to shop online, but she doesn't like to use the Internet. She's also easily overwhelmed when thinking about what to purchase for those she loves.

As I've considered how I may be able to help her work through some of the hindrances to her Christmas joy, this may be a gift I can give her. Perhaps a shopping trip next week will do her some good. The sooner the gifts are gathered, the sooner she can relax her mind and reflect upon the aspects of Christmas that do bring her joy--rejoicing in the birth of our Savior and Friend. He is the only One who can bring us joy. I pray that her celebrations will soon take a turn toward true joy.

Scrooginess can easily set in if we aren't alert to it. So for us, dear one, let us continue to look for the true joy in Christmas. He is there.

Painting ~ Walk In, John George Brown 1831-1913

Wiki Art public domain

Merry Christmas

May the love God sent find your heart ready to receive.

May His Peace, Joy, and Faith reside there so that you may say,

All is well with my soul.

Thank you, Jesus

The Most Important Event - God With Us

Annunciation to the Shepherds, Govert Flinck 1639

Sharing with you today a brief excerpt from my devotional reading. This comes from the devotional insights in the chronological Bible that I read in the morning hours. It's part of the introduction to the gospels of the incarnation of Jesus, the Christ. A thought from F. LaGard Smith:

All is now ready for the most important event in human history. It is an event planned even before the creation of the world. It is the keeping of a promise made to Abraham over 2000 years earlier. It is the fulfillment of a host of prophecies regarding a Messiah who would come to establish his kingdom. Most importantly, it is the beginning of a dynamically new relationship between God and man. The event is the coming of the savior of the world, the Messiah--or, as referred to in the Greek, the Christ.

BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL, which translated means, "GOD WITH US."

Matthew 1:23

from ~ The NIV Daily Bible in Chronological Order

Where Is Hope?

I listened today to Michelle's lament--"Now we are feeling what not having hope feels like.” Hope has been misplaced by many among us. It cannot be found in mankind, no matter how much we hope so.

I've never had hope in a president...past, present, nor future. My hope has been and continues to be found in God's Son, Jesus Christ.  He offers us hope in His sovereign purposes, no matter who we voted for...or against. I find peace in that knowledge this Christmas and for the coming years.

Yes, "hope is necessary"... and we need to be sure where our hope is.

Photo ~ Our Tree

Recommending: The Word Became Flesh with RC Sproul

Listening this evening to this beautiful interpretation of the carnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It begins with the words, "In the beginning was the Word." It tells the plan of salvation as RC Sproul continues the narrative from the book of Genesis through Revelation, with familiar carols, hymns and newer choral pieces throughout.

I find it to be a thrilling narrative to listen to as I ponder the fact that God Himself became flesh and dwelt among. It gives me goose bumps!

We're listening on Spotify, but if you click the image above, you can listen on Amazon or buy the CD.

The Christmas Ten Commandments

pixabay

A friend sent me the following that I'd like to share with you this Christmas Season.

THE CHRISTMAS TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. Thou shalt give thy heart to Christ. Let Him be at the top of thy Christmas list.

2. Thou shalt prepare thy soul for Christmas. Spend not so much on gifts that thy soul is forgotten.

3. Thou shalt not let Santa Claus replace Christ, thus robbing the day of its spiritual reality.

4. Thou shalt not burden the shop girl, the mailman, and the merchant with complaints and demands.  

5. Thou shalt give thyself with thy gift. This will increase its value a hundred fold, and he who receiveth it shall treasure it forever.

6. Thou shalt not value gifts received by their cost. Even the least expensive may signify love, and that is more priceless than silver and gold.

7. Thou shalt not neglect the needy. Share thy blessings with many who will go hungry and cold unless thou are generous.

8. Thou shalt not neglect thy church. Its services highlight the true meaning of the season.

9. Thou shalt be as a little child. Not until thou has become in spirit as a little one art thou ready to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

10. Thou shall not forget to share your joy, peace and faith with those around you.

 ~Author Unknown

Image ~ Merry Christmas, Flash Buddy via pixabay
CC0 Creative Commons

Ironing and Listening

Today is ironing day, and I listened in to Revive Our Hearts to pass the time. Nancy Leigh DeMoss is pointing our thoughts toward Christ in this Christmas season. The title of the series is Zechariah's Hymn, someone we seldom hear about in the Christmas story. But here we see clearly the themes of redemption and salvation as God visits earth.

Nancy says,

So as we approach this season where we celebrate, we remember, we rejoice in the advent, the first coming of Christ to this earth, we join with saints of old, such as Zechariah, in singing and saying from our hearts, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people."

Painting ~ Woman Ironing, Armand Gautier 1825-1924

Wiki Gallery public domain

The Simple Woman's Daybook

On Saturdays I reflect on simple thoughts and simple pleasures. My leads are somewhat similar to others in The Simple Woman's Daybook group, yet a bit different as well.  
 

Outside my window...
Christmas lights reminding me that Jesus is the Light of the World. We got our outside decorations up today. Sometime this week we'll put up the tree.

A Picture to Share...

 
Mary and Joseph in our front garden. Actually, he looks like a shepherd, doesn't he?

Learning...
To let God bring whatever things into my life where He wants my involvement and to be content in the rest of a measure in the symphony of life.

   

From the sewing room...

I finished this wall quilt that I named "Garden Pathways" and hung it in the upstairs hallway. I practiced free motion quilting some viney leaves on it, but I think I hurried it too much. I did learn some of what not to do, though, and to take my time and be patient with the process.
 
This coming week I'm looking forward to...

Making sugar cookies for My Beloved--his favorite.

From the kitchen...

Made some biscotti while visiting with my parents. Sharing the recipe. It's originally from bettycrocker.com, but I thought it was much too dry, so I tweaked it some. Here's my version.

Orange-Almond Biscotti
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted and chopped

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Stir together sugar, butter, orange peel and eggs vigorously in large bowl until creamy and well blended. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and almonds. Shape half of the dough at a time into rectangle, 10 x 3 inches, on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
4.  Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Place slices cut side down on cookie sheet.
5. Bake about 15 minutes or until crisp and light brown.Removed from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. 

Noticing the sound of...

The vaporizer bubbling away. A soothing sound. I've tended to get nosebleeds easily the past few years in the dry air of winter. The vaporizer helps tremendously.

Thinking...

 That there is great mystery is the incarnation of Jesus Christ. If you haven't read The Incomparable Christ by J. Oswald Sanders, I recommend it to you.

Thankful...

For My Beloved. A friend gave me some pictures of our family taken a few years back, which brought to mind how much we've changed--in several ways. My love for him grows deeper, and I feel the same from him. I'm thankful for another Christmas together. I was reading a blog today of a woman whose husband recently died. She is having a difficult time of it, this first Christmas alone, with sorrow upon sorrow. It's only by God's grace that any of us see the good of life in times like that, but I don't think she knows Him.

Around the house...
The closets that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago--I MUST get to those this week!

A thought from my Quiet Time...

From 1 Thessalonians  5:23--Now may the God of peace sanctify you entirely. 

Sanctification is a quiet work. A quiet work within. A quiet work wrought by God. The God of peace.

Sanctification is that process of being set apart for God. He begins our sanctification at the point of salvation, and He will complete it in its entirety. Yet He interweaves His grace and power with His exhortations to holiness in daily living:

• v. 11 - encourage one another and build one another up
• v. 12 - appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord
• v. 14 - admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone
• v. 15 - do not repay evil for evil, but seek after that which is good for one another
• v. 16 - rejoice always
• v. 17 - pray without ceasing
• v. 18 - in everything give thanks
• v. 19 - do not quench the spirit
• v. 20 - do not despise prophetic utterances
• v. 21 - examine everything carefully, hold fast to that which is good
• v. 22 - abstain from every form of evil

These we are to be diligent about in the process of sanctification. Yet it is God who brings us to maturity, who sanctifies us wholly, entirely. He is the source and author of sanctification, and without Him we can do nothing.

 

Currently reading...

An Amish Christmas by Cynthia Keller.  It caught my eye at the library when I stopped in for some children's books. Just a couple of chapters into it. I'm typically not fond of fiction, but I am fond of the Amish, so I thought I'd get a little glimpse into what someone thinks they do to keep our current culture's Christmas at bay.

Home Again

Toast on the Hearth, Carlton Alfred Smith

Getting back into routine after being away for a few days for a Christmas visit with my parents and sisters in Alabama. Amidst the baking of three batches of biscotti to share and other holiday goings on, Mom and I enjoyed going to her favorite quilt shop and starting to work on her wall quilt. I turned a little coupon money into a few lovely cuts of fabric. It's fun to visit quilt shops and to savor their individual character. The weather was unusually good this time of the year for traveling, and although distance is no friend to families for a lot of reasons,  I'm thankful for interstates and scenic back roads. Looking forward to a visit with my daughters right after Christmas and hoping the weather is conducive to their travel as well. Many times they've come or gone over treacherous conditions.

I was chatting with the postal clerk yesterday as I dropped off some Christmas cards, and we were discussing our current culture's Christmas. It takes a concerted effort to avoid it and to keep Christ as the center of celebration. I'm convinced staying out of the stores as much as possible is a great benefit toward that end. Oh, but that doesn't include quilt shops! I think one of the things I really like about them is the human touch that naturally goes with the fabric as we gladly offer labors of love through it.

Reading from The Incomparable Christ this morning and sharing just a brief paragraph with you.

The mystery of the incarnation will never be fully explained until "we know even as we are known." But it is not the only mystery in this mysterious world, as Lecerf said, "The presence of mystery is the footprint of the divine." We are daily surrounded by mysterious facts, which are facts nevertheless. We may not understand how Jesus could be at the same time fully divine and yet really human, but that need be no insuperable obstacle to faith. The fact has been believed by many of the greatest minds of the ages.

~ J. Oswald Sanders 

Painting ~ Toast on the Hearth, Carlton Alfred Smith 1853-1946
Wiki Commons public domain

Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming

Lo, How a rose e'er blooming

From tender spring hath sprung!

Of Jesse's lineage coming,

As men of old have sung.

It came, a floweret bright,

Amid the cold of winter,

When half spent was the night.

Isaiah 'twas foretold it,

The Rose I have in mind

With Mary we behold it,

The Virgin mother kind

To show God's love aright,

She bore to men a Savior

When half spent was the night.

The shepherds heard the story 

Proclaimed by angels bright,

How Christ, the Lord of Glory

Was born on earth this night.

To Bethlehem they sped

And in the manger found him,

As angels heralds said.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender

With sweetness fills the air,

Dispels with glorious splendor

The darkness everywhere;

True man, yet very God,

From Sin and death he saves us,

And lightens every load.

----------------
 Traditional German Carol
1599

Photo ~Red Rose, Peggy Greb (USDA-ARS)

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Thinking About Santa

I wrote in yesterday's post about some Christmas traditions that our family enjoyed over the years and shared a link with you to Revive Our Hearts with other women discussing their own traditions to keep the gospel central at Christmas. Elizabeth had shared the following with me some time back. Thought I'd pass these thoughts from Noel Piper along to you today.

Thinking About Santa
(Author: Noel Piper)

Over the years, we have chosen not to include Santa Claus in our Christmas stories and decorations. There are several reasons.

First, fairy tales are fun and we enjoy them, but we don't ask our children to believe them.

Second, we want our children to understand God as fully as they're able at whatever age they are. So we try to avoid anything that would delay or distort that understanding. It seems to us that celebrating with a mixture of Santa and manger will postpone a child's clear understanding of what the real truth of God is. It's very difficult for a young child to pick through a marble cake of part-truth and part-imagination to find the crumbs of reality.

Third, we think about how confusing it must be to a straight-thinking, uncritically-minded preschooler because Santa is so much like what we're trying all year to teach our children about God. Look, for example, at the "attributes" of Santa.

He's omniscient—he sees everything you do.
He rewards you if you're good.
He's omnipresent—at least, he can be everywhere in one night.
He gives you good gifts.
He's the most famous "old man in the sky" figure.
But at the deeper level that young children haven't reached yet in their understanding, he is not like God at all.

For example, does Santa really care if we're bad or good? Think of the most awful kid you can remember. Did he or she ever not get gifts from Santa?

What about Santa's spying and then rewarding you if you're good enough? That's not the way God operates. He gave us his gift—his Son—even though we weren't good at all. "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He gave his gift to us to make us good, not because we had proved ourselves good enough.

Helping our children understand God as much as they're able at whatever age they are is our primary goal. But we've also seen some other encouraging effects of not including Santa in our celebration.

First, I think children are glad to realize that their parents, who live with them all year and know all the worst things about them, still show their love at Christmas. Isn't that more significant than a funny, old, make-believe man who drops in just once a year?

Second, I think most children know their family's usual giving patterns for birthday and special events. They tend to have an instinct about their family's typical spending levels and abilities. Knowing that their Christmas gifts come from the people they love, rather than from a bottomless sack, can help diminish the "I-want-this, give-me-that" syndrome.

And finally, when children know that God's generosity is reflected by God's people, it tends to encourage a sense of responsibility about helping make Christmas good for others.

Karsten, for example, worked hard on one gift in 1975. On that Christmas morning, his daddy stepped around a large, loose-flapped cardboard box to get to his chair at the breakfast table. "Where's Karsten?" he asked, expecting to see our excited three-year-old raring to leap into the day. Sitting down, I said, "He'll be here in a minute."

I nudged the box with my toe. From inside the carton, Karsten threw back the flaps and sprang to his full three-foot stature. "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them..." He had memorized Luke 2:8-20 as a gift for his dad. Karsten knew the real story.

In fact, a few days later, he and I were walking down the hall at the church we attended then. One of the older ladies leaned down to squeeze his pink, round cheek and asked, "What did Santa bring you?" Karsten's head jerked quickly toward me, and he whispered loudly, "Doesn't she know?"

(Adapted from Treasuring God in Our Traditions)

Image ~ Clkr free vector image via pixabay
CC0 Creative Commons

Creating Traditions That Point to the Gospel

 I didn't take this cold to church last night, so I spent the time listening to Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I had missed several days of broadcast, so I listened to three sessions while My Beloved was at church. Nancy had several ladies in the studio talking about Christmas traditions and making Christmas meaningful. A lot of good ideas were shared.

It's easy to get caught up in the makings of our current culture's Christmas, the shopping and decorating, the baking, all the special activities and expectations, and lose sight of celebrating the incarnation of the greatest gift - the Savior of the world. We learned many years ago that we have to be intentional in keeping Christ in Christmas. Otherwise, it becomes just a secular gift-giving holiday, turning merchant colors from red to black.

It's easy for children to think of Christmas as presents and santa and just tack on Christ's birth because, well, that's just the Christian thing to do (for those who do the Christian thing). We've never played santa, and if our daughters made Christmas lists, it was for what they were going to give to someone else, not what they wanted to receive. Our purpose in gift-giving reflected the gift-giving of the wise men and God's giving the greatest gift of all, His Son.

While we had a "blessing box" in which we shared the special blessings we received during the year, we also wanted to be a special blessing to those in need at Christmas. We usually chose a girl from the bus ministry at our church, and our daughters had great fun anonymously buying her clothes and items that they would enjoy receiving themselves. It was a special blessing when we'd see her wear her new clothes to church.

Christmas Eve has always been special, and still are when our daughters are home for the holiday. We have special goodies, but the best part is spending the evening reading the account of Christ's birth and singing Christmas carols. Then we open one gift before bed (and another if they could talk their daddy into it). It would take a couple of hours to open all the gifts on Christmas morning, not because there were so many, but because we opened them one by one, one person at a time, reflecting on the gift and the giver, trying it out, maybe trying it on, expressing appreciation.

Relating as much of the goings on of Christmas to the gospel message as we can helps to focus on Christ's birth. For example, we talk of the decorative lights as a reminder that Jesus is the light of the world. The red of Christmas reminds us that He was born to die for our sins. The green reminds us of our new birth because He came into the world to die and rise again. Gold speaks of the golden streets of Heaven, purple His royalty, white and snow His purity and that our sins shall be as white as snow if we know Him. Angels - Gabriel announcing Christ's birth. The star at the tree top - the star that led the shepherds to the Christ child. Bells ring out the good news of His birth. We always liked to have a manger scene that the children could move the pieces around. Wise men still seek Him. Our Christmas cards are an opportunity to share the gospel message.  And the music - carols and songs about the birth of Christ, not reindeer on the roof.

Joy to the world -- the Lord is come! Come, let us adore Him!

Painting ~ By Marcel Rieder (1862-1942) (Collection privée  Photographie by P.F. Rieder) 
Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Children's Christmas Books

I was out yesterday looking for non-Santa Christmas books for our little Elijah for Thanksgiving. I found a few that might be of interest to your family. I found them all at Books-a-Million, many of them were on the clearance table.