Christmas at our house looks much like everything else in our life--full of good intentions, but a bit scattered in it's approach.
My brain fills up with ideas and images and suggestions from the millions of things that I read, and it all overflows into a bit of a mess. Advent? Jesse Tree? Santa--to do or not to do? How many Christmas gifts and which ones do we eliminate? How do I make Ada understand that it's all about, only about, Jesus coming to earth to save us from our sins? And the anticipation and the celebration and the gifts are just a way to remember that he came, IN THE FLESH, to earth, to meet us in our desperate need. There are some days that Christmas feels like one more thing that I might, gasp, fail at doing. And then I remember, that's why he came!! Because he KNEW that I would fail over and over and over. And so...
The Grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all people. Titus 2:11. Amen and amen and amen.
So this is my humble attempt at Christmas this year.
Ada and I are doing this together every morning, usually in our pajamas, hair a mess, house a wreck, and, again, scattered in our approach, but by God's grace, she will understand the story of Christ's birth by the time we are through.
And then we do it again at night, when Scott is with us, because, at three, repetition is everything.
And because my own heart tends to get caught up in decorations and baking and making Christmas feel a certain way for my children (which is not a bad thing, as long as it doesn't become the ULTIMATE thing, right?), I ordered this for Scott and me to read each day. Because I want to anticipate Jesus. I want to understand, just a tiny, tiny bit, what it felt like for God to speak into the silence that Christmas day, sending a savior, who was Christ the Lord.
(I discovered both of these resources--Ada's chart and our book-- at this website, which continues to be a favorite of mine)
2 comments:
1. Your power must be back on.
2. Love the book you and Scott are reading! I want to get one!
3. I always felt that same kind of pressure and so scattered and often panicked - going between the real meaning and back to the secular and the gifts and all of that - not wanting to over do - but worried if there was too little and no magic. You're doing great, sweetie.
This is how I think of the baking and making and such: it's a way to bring family and friends together to celebrate why (and how) we're here and there is NOTHING wrong with that. Being able to enjoy the magic with family is HOW we're reminded of what a special day 12/25 is. (sorry to end with a preposition :)). You're doing great and better than most (including myself!)!
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