Every year as we embark upon another Christmas season, I seem to ask myself the same thing – how can we be more intentional? We have never been a “hustle and bustle” family. We don’t tend to overcommit in our schedule and are very cautious with how we use our “yes” when it comes to invitations. So as I sat down with my husband to get his perspective on what matters most to him in our celebration of Christmas, I took careful notes and then paused to ask God to direct our steps this Christmas season.
Christmas has become so commercialized over the years. My earliest memories of Christmas include things like “frosty the snowman” and “rudolph the red-nosed reindeer”. But the resounding theme of Christmas, at least for me, has been the rememberance and celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth story. As a little girl, I fondly remember getting all dressed up for the Christmas Eve service and going to church at night. We would hear an account of the story of Jesus’ birth and sing Christmas carols. Candlelight and pointsettas were often aiding in the ambiance of the evening as we engaged in the story of this remarkable story – a virgin pregnancy and birth.
Back when we began having children, I was very intentional to teach our children that Christmas was not about Santa Clause. We never encouraged our children to write letters to Santa or to place a belief in Santa Clause. But this year I took a look at the music, movies, books and decorations we typically use and went a step further in my selection for this year’s Christmas celebration.
In today’s world we are increasingly aware of “fillers” in products. You know, how junk is added to laundry soap, food, products that don’t really enhance the effectiveness of the product or add to the nutrition of the product. In fact, these “fillers” can actually take away or block the effectiveness of that product or food. I began to look at those “fillers” I had allowed into our Christmas season and decided to just put out books, movies and decor that rang true with the essential story of Christmas – Jesus’ birth. I purchased some “countdown cards” from one of my favorite Christian education vendors, Not Consumed Ministries, as well as a copy of the book of Luke from Amazon. I was going to keep our “filler” books, movies and decor in an opaque bin and let the Holy Spirit guide me as to the if and when of incorporating these items.
Yesterday was December 1st, and I can honestly say the day felt so special. The boys were playing out in the snow for hours, I got some of my reading done for the week, and Cole worked on our current fix-it job – restoring a leg to a record player cabinet we received from our neighbor’s son. I made a big ‘ol batch of potato and ham soup and ended the day reading the first chapter of Luke, singing a Christmas carol, and reading a couple other Christmas-themed children’s books. It was a truly joyful and wonder-filled evening as we simply focused our attention on the story of Jesus and the wonder of his birth story.
I pray you find encouragement to make this Christmas season truly wonderful by focusing on the main thing and being intentional in your family. Be blessed and have a beautiful Christmas season as you remember the wonder of our Lord Jesus Christ’s humble entry to the world.