With Christmas quickly approaching I have been reflecting once again on how I as a Mom and a follower of Christ can help keep "Christ" in Christmas. Every year I wonder what is the best way to make sure we don't forget what the true meaning of Christmas is and not let Jesus get lost in all the giving of presents, the holiday meals and into the New Year. I desire to teach my girls that while the giving and receiving of gifts is fun (who doesn't love to receive a gift) that it is about the gift of ourselves that Christ most cherishes.
Of course, like any family, we have traditions. For the Mininger's - We always go and pick out a Christmas Tree the day after Thanksgiving and then decorate it as a family. While decorating we play Christmas Music and bake and eat lots of "Monkey" Bread. It's a time we all look forward too each year. We get out our count down snowman and beging to count down the days until Christmas, and then... we wait, countdown, shop and bake our way through the days until Christmas.
Christmas morning always arrives early at our house. We get up, eat breakfast together, have some more "Monkey" bread and sit down to open presents. We always read the account of Christ birth from the gospel of Luke, much to the jittery inpatience of our children. Finally, we have reached the time of opening gifts. We then spend the next..however long it takes...to open gifts, oh and ahh appropriately and then...it's over. Done...No more... We spend the rest of the day either at home being lazy and enjoying family or some years it's off to the grandparents for a meal and more gift opening.
The part I love is the spending time with family without the worry of work or school or many of life's demands...
The part I hate is that just like that..come December 26th..it's just over...done...we move on with our lives looking at the New Year and wondering what in the world we will resolve to do this New Year.
For our famiily...that's the part we really want to change this year....but how?
This is where I find my thoughts these days - answering the "How"?
So, this year, the Mininger's are chaning and adding a few traditions for our family. There are still those traditions we will keep but we have three key ones that we plan to add...with the hopes that it will help keep us more focused on the meaning of Christmas.
1st - Instead of waiting to read about the birth of Christ on Christmas morning...usually right before we open gifts and the kids are ready to bust...(which in our house means they are hearing very little) We plan to read and talk about the birth of Christ before we head to get our tree - This way, we can start out our celebration already thinking of Jesus and make it a month long focus and have time to talk about it, instead of just a quick time before opening gifts.
2nd- A "three" gift rule.
I remember one year, when Michaela was about four - that year she had recieved a lot of gifts, between us and grandparents...but despite that...when the last gift was opened she threw the biggest tantrum because... "What! No more gifts!But I want more!!" It was a shocking attitude that I never want to see repeated with any of my children. So, how do we still give and yet not create an attitude of "more...more" in our girls.
Now some years, of course, are leaner than others, but usually each girl receives several gifts. This year, we have decided that each child/adult will recieve no more than three gifts each.
This idea actually came from a professor of mine...but the three gifts we recieve helps remind us of the 3 gifts the wisemen brought to Jesus when they visited him. It also allows us not to get so carried away with gift giving that Christmas becomes more about what we get then what we can give to one another in serving and loving one another.
3rd - This last tradition is, to me, one of the most important and I look forward to seeing how each one in our family will go about fulfilling this particular "gift."
As a little girl I remember thinking "We get all these gifts, but what does God get? It's really his birthday isn't it?"
With that in mind I thought of an idea of how our family can give a gift to God throughout the year. ( Of course, the first and greatest gift we can give him is our own hearts, inviting him in, asking him to forgive us our sins and be Lord of our lives.)
This year, I will purchase a Shadow Box Frame.(Though a standard frame would work too) Then, on Christmas morning, each family member will recieve a slip of paper. On that slip of paper each one will write down what gift of themselves they committ to giving God that year. Maybe it's a gift of speaking kindly to their sisters, serving one another, a time of devotion every day, prayer....or whatever that person feels they want to give to God. Then, I will take the pieces of paper and mount them in the frame. Then we will hang the frame in our home somewhere were the family can see it and be reminded of what "gift" they had committed to God for the New Year.
For me it's not just about keeping Christ in Christmas but keeping him present in our lives each and every day of the Year.
My prayer is that this year...come December 26th...we will continue the celebration of Christ in our lives and that instead of all those New Year Resolutions..that I never seem to be able to keep anyway...that this year we will keep our committments to God to serve and love one another, both in our family and beyond.
What are some of your traditions as a family? What are some ways that you keep Christ in Christmas? How will you resolve to Keep Christ in this New Year?
Whatever it may be, my prayer is that you will continue to draw closer to God and purpose each day to serve Him with all your heart!
....Be Blessed today,
~Victoria
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