Decking the Halls

I love Christmas....more importantly, I love the warmth, the joy and the family traditions that come along with it.

As I get older (I'm certainly not getting an younger) I find that I spend more time in reflection, savoring moments that may never come again.

One of my favorite times is when we decorate the tree. We get out the hot cocoa and eggnog, then my husband and I sit back to watch the large production of adorning our 9 foot tree. Our children know how it works (we've done it the same ways for years).

When my children were much smaller, I wanted them to be able to enjoy decorating the tree, as well as satisfy my "OCD" ways. ;). Sooo, I bought boxes and boxes of colorful Christmas balls...we have so many balls that they can put them wherever they want with no worries that someone will rearrange them because they are too close. Our tree is LOADED with these simple little balls.

After the hundreds (seriously, hundreds) of balls are on, then we bring out the special ornaments. Everyone gets to place their special ornaments which turns out to be quite a treat for them.

Once the tree is loaded, everyone steps back commenting how beautiful it turned out with the usual, "I love our tree" comments. :)

I love being a mom. I love the privilege that I have to impact and raise these special children that I have been blessed with. My heart overflows with joy!

Tis the Season...Slave or Free

It's interesting that one day seems to be celebrated for a "season"...

December is filled with shopping, parties, shopping, crafting, SHOPPING, cooking, Shopping, caroling, SHOPPING, eating, Shopping, plays and maybe even a little more SHOPPING (imagine that).

It's no wonder why so many people get depressed right after Christmas. There has to be a bit of a letdown with all of this leading up to one day (not to mention the credit card bills that start to roll in after all of the shopping).

The thought of being a "slave" to something seems to stick out in my mind of late...

The Bible tells us that we should not be a slave to anything (other than Christ). Yet, have you ever realized how much we allow other things to become our masters?

Any SIN that we allow in our lives becomes our master.

ANY SIN!

Pride, Envy, Hate, Lust, etc.

They are the things that we allow to dictate our behavior, our attitudes, our relationships...the reason that we do the things we do.

Ugh! Not a pretty thought, is it?

It may even be the praise of men...

could it be that sometimes we don't give gifts out of genuine love but instead that we may be thought of well by the one receiving the gift. We spend MORE on a gift because we don't want someone to think we're "cheap" or because we want someone to like us.

Generally, I give gifts out of sincerity. Nothing irks me more than the phrase,
"We'll, you know you have to give them something since they got you a gift."

Really?!?!

I think not- I want to be "real" and act out of heartfelt love and sincerity.

I thought we were giving gifts out of sincere love, to show appreciation and as a sign of affection...not DUTY.

Don't get me wrong, I am no Scrooge. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

I LOVE to give gifts...I'd be bankrupt if I gave everyone what I would like to...I like to put a lot of thought into what I give. My kids laugh because they never ask for anything (I thank God for children that are not so self-centered and want, want, want) but they always seem to be thrilled with the gifts that they get. I think it's because I don't just get things to shove under the tree but spend a lot of time researching, paying attention to what they like, and then thoughtfully choosing a gift for them.

They don't get tons of gifts either. This year they may get 2 gifts each along with a stocking with some small things and goodies.

But I GUARANTEE they are going to LoVE what they get. (I can hardly wait to see them open them ). For goodness sakes, how awful it would be if they had piles of presents and didn't appreciate anything...unwrapping one thing, tossing it aside and going to the next thing.

I challenge you, dear reader to slow down, think about how you are choosing to celebrate this holiday.

Don't become a slave to the commercialism that seems to have invaded this beautiful season.

Instead find joy in the little things...reflect upon Christ and His ultimate gift.

This time of year is wonderful to stop and REALLY think about the sacrifice Christ made for us so that we can be free from the chains and slavery of sin.

The decorating, the parties, the gift-giving...it's all just fine. But try to think about the reason you do what you...make sure you are living in the freedom Christ has given you if you are HIs Child.