Our church this Advent season is encouraging us to Reclaim Christmas. We need to "reclaim" it by stripping away all that doesn't matter. Focus on the true, real, original meaning of Christmas. Celebrating Jesus' birth.
We have an emphasis on the Christmas story.
We don't encourage a lot of gifts of just stuff.
We don't do Santa Clause or Elves. A lady asked the children the other day if Santa Claus was coming and they looked at me with a puzzled look. I think they thought she was crazy and I just explained to her that we don't do Santa.
We don't emphasize a lot of decorations at home. The same tree every year with the same ornaments. A manger scene on the entertainment center that is a permanent fixture.
A few simple white lights outside.
We have always tried to limit our Christmas schedule to one family gathering per day. That really works! I don't remember having to miss any gatherings either. Everyone has been very accommodating.
Here are some of our ways to focus on CHRISTmas:
We have several DVDs that portray the real story of Christmas. Veggie Tales and What's in the Bible are a great place to start. We absolutely love THE FIRST NOEL, narrated by Andy Griffith. Super cute, short animated film.
Don't place an emphasis on the NEED to go shopping.
Shop local or shop online. My children don't see me frantically trying to find a day away to go shopping. Shop early to eliminate stress. Sure, I'm on the lookout for good deals and I begin planning early.
Eat by candlelight
We've had an Advent candle wreath at our dinner table for a couple years now. It is one tradition that the children anticipate each year. Perhaps they just like the idea of having fire on the table. Either way, they know the story behind the colors of the candles, we light one each Sunday of December. Occasionally, fire at the table leads into a little science lesson.
CHRISTmas crafts
There are a bazillion ideas on the Internet for Christmas crafts that bring your focus to the Bible story. Just one of the ways we did that was to make a "gingerbread" nativity scene. I found a handprint Christmas craft HERE and hope to do it during this season.
Limit your gift giving
Set a budget and stick to it. For your immediate family and extended family. Typically we've given our children only 3 gifts and then some stocking stuffers. This year, it's even less. Each child gets one gift and then one big family gift for all the children.
Read
We're reading parts of the Christmas Story at lunch and supper. We read small parts at a time and break it down and talk about it. We also enjoy Bible-based Christmas books and we have several that we read over and over this time of the year.
Attend Christmas Programs and Christmas services
Just one more important way to center our focus. Our church also has a specific day of prayer during Advent. We haven't been able to attend, but for those that do, it is a powerful experience.
Advent Devotionals
Our church is posting a devotional each day.
Otherwise there are many other favorites on the Internet. A Holy Experience is a favorite blog, too.
For the children, their Advent devotion this year comes from Truth in the Tinsel. We love it! It is age-appropriate, Scripture-based and has an accompanying ornament for each day. There'll be a separate post on this later. A list of several Advent devotionals can be found here.
Give to others in need
Instead of giving gifts to Great-Grandparents and Sunday School Teachers and the Mailman, we make a donation to a reputable organization. This year, we bought a hog through Heifer International. Give a little extra to your sponsored child, if you have one, through World Vision or Compassion International. We are still among the richest in the world, so give a little away. We packed shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child this year and we've been using their Daily Prayer Guide to pray for our boxes.
I'm sure you have your own ways of "Reclaiming Christmas." These are just some of our ideas that have worked for us!
No comments:
Post a Comment