What we're not doing this year

Every year I vow to make the Christmas season more about Christ and less about the novelty of the holiday.  I've given it a valiant effort, but still seem to fall short each time.  A combination of guilt, obligation, perceived peer pressure, excitement, overdosing on sugar.....it all steers me into rushing around, overspending, exhaustion and regret.  Not exactly how one should be feeling during Christmas time!!!  Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and all that it brings but for me, the "Hallmark" part of the holiday is the emptiest part. 

This year I started my shopping early, kept it really simple and even said "no" to things that just were not in line with my new resolve.  I made sure that my calendar was current with all of our commitments for parties and events, my shopping list and even our family menu plan for the month.  I have been careful to follow the traditions that we have set as a family and reminded myself that once again my goal is to remember what Christmas is all about.  Everything was right on schedule.  That is until it started raining.  It has rained here for DAYS on end.  It has not let up.  Usually it rains a little and then there is some sun to dry everything up, but not this time.  It has rained and rained and rained some more.  Now Leah is really sick.  Just days before Christmas I have found myself a little discouraged because we have been house-bound for days because of the rain and now with Leah's illness the rest of the week doesn't look so promising.  Or does it?  I started reflecting on these last few weeks and came up with a better way to look at it all.  So here is a list of what we're not doing this year:

*we are not driving all over town searching for the "perfect" gift for so-and-so
*we are not sitting on the 91 freeway in traffic to see Santa and ride the train to the North Pole
*we are not going into debt to show our friends and family how much we love them
*we are not forcing our children into fancy matching outfits and having our pictures taken
*we are not skipping naps and dinner as a family to make it to Christmas parties
*we are not devouring endless amounts of sweets
*we are not stressed about cramming everything in before the 25th
*we are not standing in line at the post office for an hour to mail packages all over the US
*we are not cleaning the house from top to bottom so that we can host a party

This is not an exhaustive list and it isn't meant to be insulting to those who are participating in this stuff.  It's just what we are choosing not to do this year.

Instead, here is what we are doing!

*we are watching Christmas movies drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows in our sleeping bags on the living room floor

*we are decorating cookies

*we are reading our favorite Christmas books

*we are donating gifts we would like to receive to U-Turn for Christ
*we are signing Happy Birthday to Jesus
*we are taking silly pictures and making them our "fancy" Christmas ones (I love the look on Gabe's face!)

*we are telling our family and friends how much we love them
*we are eating breakfast in our princess dresses

*we are skipping seeing Santa all together this year
*we are giving small, personal gifts
*we are talking about the details of the Christmas story with the girls and trying to imagine what it was like to ride a donkey 9 months pregnant!
*we are enjoying celebrating Gabe's first Christmas (this has been a great way to talk about baby Jesus in the manger!)

*we are listening to Christmas music and singing along
*we are creating a Christmas program of our own in our living room...with the fireplace hearth as the stage

Again, not an exhaustive list but just a few things that we have been up to.  So whether it's the rain, Leah's illness or pure determination, we are focusing on what Christmas is really about.  It's about the birth of Jesus and loving people like Jesus loved. It's about showing our children that it's not the gifts they receive that make Christmas special but what they give to others.  It's about spending time with family and friends.  Yay!! I think I'm making some progress!! 



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