Christmas

Celebrate Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes

E895D948-4204-4E38-962C-2E0F6B7066CE

Ask any adult if they’re ready for Christmas, and they’ll likely respond with a groan. For what’s supposed to be the “most wonderful time of the year,” December usually ends up being too busy, too chaotic, and too stressful to really enjoy. Children, on the other hand, are completely opposite. My kids have been counting down to Christmas since the middle of November. You can see the excitement and wonder in their eyes when they think about the holiday. Christmas for a child is what Christmas is really about—waiting in eager expectation. Our Heavenly Father has given us the perfect gift in His Son. We know that’s what Christmas is all about, but sometimes it’s hard to keep that focus when we think about everything on our to-do list before December 25. So here are a few links of Advent and Christmas activities you can do with your children (or on your own!), to remind you to take a step back and celebrate Christmas through a child’s eyes.

Continue reading “Celebrate Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes” →

December 2, 2019

Mary Had a Little Lamb

lamb-2216160_1920

Mary had a little Lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow.
Down from heav’n to earth it went
Salvation to bestow.
Continue reading “Mary Had a Little Lamb” →

December 24, 2018

Why I Don’t Do Christmas Anymore

ED37E612-24FD-4DE4-9F04-0B7E6EF09D8C

I’ve decided I’m not going to decorate for Christmas anymore. I made the mistake of putting up our tree with the kids last weekend, and it was a disaster. While I’d love to be instilling happy memories for the kids in our annual Christmas decorating, I’m afraid the opposite could well be true. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that there was much fighting, and in the end we had two broken ornaments and two children in tears. So much for quality family time. Who needs this, anyhow? So I’m done. No more decorating for me.

Continue reading “Why I Don’t Do Christmas Anymore” →

December 10, 2018

Countdown to Christmas

There are 22 shopping days until Christmas (as of the posting of this blog). Xmasclock.com even has an official countdown, down to the second, if you’re really curious. And before then, there are presents to buy and wrap, cards to mail, decorating to do, cookies to bake, concerts to attend, parties to plan… Sigh. And all this in only 22 days? It’s enough to make a person want to curl up and hibernate until it’s all over. And in all the shuffle of the month of December, it’s very easy to lose sight of the season of the church year called Advent. Advent is a short season—only four weeks at most. And many of us would love to make Advent more meaningful if only there was time to do it. Well, good news. Here are a few links to activities that require no planning and very little time to incorporate them into your family’s routine:

Continue reading “Countdown to Christmas” →

December 2, 2018

E62FB14E-10E4-4BF1-BB55-B4D97C96AC7A

One of my fondest Christmas memories is one that, at the time, seemed like a complete disaster. My mom was down with the flu and could hardly get out of bed, much less make the holiday meal she was planning to make. My dad, a pastor, had a funeral the morning of Christmas Eve, besides two evening services, and didn’t have time to make anything for us either. So after the funeral we ended up at Taco Bell for our Christmas Eve dinner, my dad wearing his clerical collar and my brothers and I in our play clothes.

(more…)

Extending Grace

December 7, 2017

Christmas Wouldn’t be Christmas Without the Tree

E854FBF9-B94A-4142-84C1-E65A27D34535

Whether you put yours up the day after Thanksgiving or wait until Christmas Eve, the Christmas tree is one of the most ubiquitous symbols of Christmas. Nearly every household in America has at least one tree. We see them in yards, stores, schools, businesses, and town squares. There are tree lighting ceremonies in many towns. One might say that Christmas woudn’t be Christmas without the tree. And in a very real sense, that’s entirely true.

Continue reading “Christmas Wouldn’t be Christmas Without the Tree” →

December 4, 2017

Come, Lord Jesus

C6E8CC17-DFBF-42BB-9141-484590733757

Have you ever noticed that the Church year ends where it begins? We celebrated the Last Sunday of the Church Year yesterday, with an emphasis on the end times as we wait for Jesus’ coming. This flows naturally into Advent, with its emphasis on–you guessed it–waiting for Jesus’ coming. Even some of the hymns are interchangeable, equally acceptable for both occasions. “Savior of the Nations, Come,” “Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending,” “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus,” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” and “Christ is Surely Coming,” show that we’re waiting for Jesus, whether His first advent at Christmas or His second advent when He returns. And let’s be honest. Waiting is hard for us.

Continue reading “Come, Lord Jesus” →

November 27, 2017

Confessions of a Christmas Hater

I hate Christmas. I know, I know, that’s a terribly Grinch-like thing to say, but let me explain. I hate the pressure of Christmas and the general entitlement attitude in society regarding the holiday. We’re expected to decorate our houses, buy presents, hang lights, buy presents, send Christmas cards, buy presents, bake Christmas cookies, buy presents, and generally spread holiday merriment and cheer everywhere we go. Oh, did I mention buy presents? It’s enough to make a person’s head spin.

Continue reading “Confessions of a Christmas Hater” →

December 29, 2015

Christmas without Christ

Happy Holidays! Season’s Greetings!

Our society is so exceedingly polite nowadays that we dare not offend anyone. As a result, we tame down our felicitations so they mean next to nothing. “Happy Holidays” could refer to Halloween and Thanksgiving. “Season’s Greetings” could be referring to spring or summer. So I’ll be blunt. We’re coming up to Christmas. And honestly, what’s the point of Christmas without Christ?

Continue reading “Christmas without Christ” →

December 21, 2015