The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

This has to be my most favorite time of the year!  I absolutely LOVE Christmas!!

In home groups this past week, we were asked to think about traditions that our family has had past & present.  At first I couldn't think of anything from my past, but later the memories came flooding back.

My absolutely favorite Christmas tradition from my childhood, was going to central Pennsylvania and camping out in a log cabin over Christmas for a week.  We did this yearly for many years and it was awesome!  I remember cold chili that tasted warm, because it was sooo cold outside.  Taking hikes and getting lost.  Sledding down the mountainside across a road and into a pine tree.  Mashing the potatoes for our Christmas dinner with a fork, because we forgot the electric mixer (and btw, the creamiest mashed potatoes I've ever had!).  There are so many wonderful memories from that family tradition, that I could go on, and on, and on...

[And mom, dad, brothers & sisters in law, wouldn't that be fun to do together again, now that we have our own families?]

Now that our kids are a little older, we are trying to think up of traditions for our family.  In the past we have had read the Christmas story from Luke and had the kids open their stalkings (with PJs in them) on Christmas Eve.  (We got the PJ idea from the Buss' up in Rochester).  We watch all those fun Christmas movies from Black Friday until Christmas & have popcorn, hot cocoa,chocolate chip cookies, etc.  I decorate the house trying to compete with the Griswolds. ;)

I decorate our tree with white lights and ribbon, like I do every year.  Except for this year, it is only decorated that way on the top half, so that little hands don't get to the pretty ribbon or glass ornaments. (I'm babysitting now)

We watch the movie, "The Nativity Story".  And a newly started tradition is going to see the play "Scrooge" at Kingwood Baptist.

But one thing I noticed with all the traditions that we have, there are very few that have anything to do with the true meaning of Christmas. So this year, I want to change that.

We as a family have never pretended that Santa was real.  We have always told our kids the truth concerning that.  We have always told our kids the true meaning of Christmas, but we never really did anything to show it.  (I'm embarrassed to admit.)

It's not much, but as a new tradition starting this year, we are going to show our neighbors love by daily giving a different neighbor a gift and a homemade card telling of the true meaning of Christmas.  We'll do this everyday, for ten days.  We will remain anonymous, because I really want the kids not to focus on themselves, but on loving their neighbor. [Okay Ivy Brook friends who read my blog - our little secret =) ]

God gave us the ultimate gift, Jesus.  So it will be our goal to share that gift with others - along with a batch of cookies, a Christmas ornament, money or whatever the gift will be.  And maybe, just maybe, it might change one neighbor's Christmas.  So this week, we will be praying, as a family, that the gifts & cards will change someone's heart who does not know about Jesus, or even if they do, that they will remember Him and why we even celebrate Christmas to begin with, or perhaps it will just simply bring someone Hope.

This time of year is truly a time to celebrate the birth of Christ! (as is any other time of year!)  But so many times we get caught up in the traditions that have very little to do with Him.  My hope and prayer for this year is that we focus more on Jesus while having fun with all the other traditions too.

Merry Christmas!!