Birthday Letter Journal

As a child, my parents would write a special birthday letter to me every year. These letters have been treasured and re-read numerous times over the years. They have been a source of encouragement as well as treasured memories. I was the determined mother to record all the fun growth chart and progress reports of my little ones from their birth, but as more children have been added it has been very difficult to maintain. Over this last year I decided I needed to adapt this plan in order to make it more maintainable. So I now keep a simple journal for each of my children in which I record a special letter to them on the occasion of their birthday each year. Each birthday I write a letter highlighting all the progress from the previous year and how the Lord is growing and shaping them. I want it to be a letter that can encourage and bless them as the years go by. I want to be able to give each journal to my child to take with them when they leave our home.

Daily Family Journal

Recording fun sayings and daily developments has been a desire of mine for some time. I loved keeping a daily journal as a child but that is not so practical now with three little ones. I came across the idea of a One Line a Day Memory Journal. I love this concept of recording a simple one line highlight from each day of our lives and being able to track what takes places on that same day in years to come. Now that is doable. Another variety along these lines is the Postcard Calendar Journal.

Annual Memory Ornament

I stumbled across this idea on Pinterest of recording highlights from the year on an annual white/clear ornament. I love it! A simple way to look back over the years and remember special highlights of different events, vacations, progress report, etc. I used a permanent marker to record the events. You could do a family oriented version or a different ornament for each child highlighting the child’s accomplishments, milestones, silly things they said, and personal favorite’s from the year (book, food, movie).

Annual Photo Books

Scrapbooking has never been my thing. I’m just not that creative gal. But I do want to store our family photos in a easy viewable format. So I began making an annual photobook (pictured above). I’m a bit behind and have 2010 and 2011 to finish this year, but it is a fun way to treasure the photos in a book style attractive format without having to print individual pictures at all. I have used Blurb, Costco, or Shutterfly for these photobooks and have had great success with all of them. At the end of each photo book, we write a family report from the year answering the end of a year questionare.

I am so thankful for all the simple ways that we have for treasuring our family memories. I do not want to forget His unending love and faithfulness to us. I want to pass it on to the next generation so that God might be glorified through our testimony.

For further inspiration, check out Trina’s post on 24 Ways to Keep A Family Journal.

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassion’s never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”. Lamentations 3:21-23

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Gift wrapping is one of those activities that just gets tacked on at the end of all the little jobs we have to do in preparation for the holidays. Often times it is hurriedly done without a lot of thought. Usually I plow through gift wrapping marathons, occasionally letting my toddler hold the tape dispenser or plop a bow on top of a package. This year, I realized that treating Christmas like a task to be completed rather than a special time of year full of teachable moments and joy was doing a disservice to my children. Christmas is an opportunity to embrace peace, create memories, and reflect on blessings. Jesus’ birth is far too incredible and important to one’s understanding of God’s greatness to be rushed through.

I have purposed to make this year unique when it comes to gift wrapping. I want to make it more mindful, joyous, and reflective of the God we serve. How will we do it?

Set the stage. 

Turn on Christmas music, grab some snacks (milk and Christmas cookies, anyone?), and place wrapping supplies near the Christmas tree, the fireplace, or at the kitchen table—wherever you feel festive. Avoid distractions like the television, cell phones, and the computer by shutting them off or setting them aside.

Share and pray.  

As a family, take turns praying for the gift’s receiver and sharing a memory about the person. For little ones, a simple, “This tea pot is for Grandma. Grandma collects tea pots.  Remember when Grandma played tea party with you?” For older children, allow them to share a special moment they had with the receiver. Prayers can be as simple or as elaborate as your children’s understanding and attention span allows.

Get creative.

Wrapping gifts in brown packaging paper gives your kids a blank slate to get creative (plus the paper is heavy duty—hopefully avoiding tears). Give children age-appropriate crafting materials (stickers, glue, ribbon, buttons,  stamps, markers, etc.) and encourage them to decorate packages. Older children can cut out pictures from magazines and create a collage on the package.     Gift tags can be a photo of the receiver glued onto cardstock and tied with a ribbon (which helps little children identify gifts when distributing) or a homemade card with a handwritten message from an older child.

Read and discuss the Christmas story.  

Read to children (or have an older child read) as they decorate gifts, and remind them that the Wise Men brought gifts to Jesus in celebration of His birth. Talk about how giving can be a joyful experience for the giver and the receiver. Christmas is also a great opportunity to memorize a Bible verse pertaining to giving, joy, or peace. Choose a verse and commit to reciting it as a family a few times a day.

Quality, not quantity.   

Allow the family to set the pace of the gift-wrapping session. When little ones begin to get agitated and distracted, put away the supplies and gift wrap more presents another day. A great way to create short and meaningful wrapping sessions is to spread them throughout the month of December by incorporating them into your custom Advent calendar.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  ~James 1:17

What creative ideas do you have to make gift wrapping more meaningful?

Rachel Garlinghouse is a Christian, wife, mother of two, freelance writer, and college writing teacher. She blogs about adoptive family life (and so much more!) at White Sugar, Brown Sugar. 

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Photo Credit: ktylerconk

Post by Contributing Writer, Michele of Frugal Granola

Part of the fun of Christmas preparations in our family is involving the little ones in making homemade gifts. Depending on their ages/abilities, the level of their contributions may vary, but they love the feeling of “being in on the surprise.”

It is so sweet to see a child’s joy of giving on Christmas morning, when they say “I made it just for you!” (On the occasion when they admit, “Mama/Daddy helped,” I just respond, “That’s what mommies/daddies are for! You did a wonderful job.” And they smile.)

Some children creatively think of gifts to make for members of the family on their own, while others may prefer an “assigned” project that you work on together. Here are some ideas that allow for little hands, to get you started.

The majority of these projects are intended to be done as a family/with a parent; savor the joy of Christmas together! Many of these gifts are also suitable for friends/neighbors or extended family; tailor it to your family’s gift-giving traditions.

Photo Credit: katerha

For Mama

• Homemade Sugar Scrub (Children love to smell the bottles of essential oils, and choose their favorites!)
• Pallet Shelves (Great for little people that love to hammer the nails.)
• Orange Flower Hand Lotion (from “A Natural Noel“)
• Happy Angel Ornaments
• Energizing Bath Tea Bags (If you don’t want to use muslin bags, disposable bags that you iron shut are also available.)
• Seed Balls or Decorated Tins of Seeds
• Orange Peel Candles
• Bird Seed Ornaments

Photo Credit: James Bowe

For Daddy

• Pallet Shelves (also on the list for Mama)
• Homemade Aftershave (Again, children love smelling those essential oils! We’ve made recipe #2, adding in aloe and masculine-scented essential oils of cedarwood and lavender.)
• Embroidered Handprints (Place in a small frame for his office/desk.)
• Spoon Garden Markers (He’ll be ready for spring planting!)
• Homemade Custom Notepads (The business card suggestion is a great idea, too!)
• Herbal Fire Starters (It’s even more fun if the children have helped grow/gather the herbs.)
• Mini First Aid Kit (The perfect size to tuck into a glove compartment or fishing box.)
• Bowl made from Baking Soda Clay (to store the odds & ends at his desk or dresser)
• Magnetic Airplane Clip (to display all their art for Daddy!)

Photo Credit: Nico Paix

For Siblings

• Homemade Cornstarch Paint
• Fabric Roads (Perfect for repurposing old jeans, and pairs well with a new toy car!)
• Domino Stones (or Alphabet Rocks)
• Watercolor Sketch Books (These could make good gifts for Mama or Daddy, too.)
• Homemade Moon Sand (If you’re in the US, the “corn flour” is known as “cornstarch”.)
• Mini Crayon Holder
• Busy Bags (such as the Felt Play Board)
• Homemade Finger Paints
• Shape-Sorting Memory Game

Gift-making can be a wonderful time of intentionally carving out some quality family time together, as well as practicing generosity for others. You’ll be establishing cherished traditions, valued character traits, and life-long memories!

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A reader asked: How much time during the week do you allow for time away from home and/or open your home for things like playdates/hospitality towards other moms. Our church is strong on community and “living life together” and living missionally (which I am totally on board and excited about). However, lately, it feels like we are away from home more mornings than we are home. Those times usually end up with kids in one room playing and moms in another chatting/venting/hopefully encouraging one another. I want my kids to learn the importance of community, but I fear this is encouraging peer-orientation and taking away from my discipleship of my kids. I know I am to be “busy at home” and it just feels like playdates are a good excuse to ignore these duties. Any thoughts/guidelines you use?

If there is one lesson I have learned since the arrival of my third child is that the easiest way to avoid stress and outbursts of anger at my children is to simply stay home. When you consider the work necessary to get four people (including myself) fed, clothed, diapers changed, potty visited, shoes tied, and coats buttoned, I am rather worn out.

Could our time be better invested by simply staying home?

There is true joy to be found in simply being at home. We do experience a lot pressure in our culture to get out and do things in order to supposedly stay sane. It could be a pull to many good things, like much needed fellowship with other woman. Don’t get me wrong. I believe it is very important to be in fellowship with other believers (Hebrews 13:3). But you don’t have to go to the latest play group or gym class for your child to develop socially. You don’t have to go to every storytime or sing-along for your child to love books and be exposed to the wonders of music. You don’t have to go to every moms group to stay connected in community with others. “Ballet classes for 3 year olds are glorified playgrounds,” as one friend so aptly put it. You can do it right from your own living room. There is a balance that we must come through by prayer and seeking the counsel of our husbands.

When it comes to our family, we follow one basic weekly guideline we shoot for – one morning/afternoon outing per week. There may be an occasional reason requiring us to go out again, but this is the most common plan. This might be a playdate with another family, a field trip to our local children’s museum, or storytime at the local library. We believe strongly in the importance of community, so we host a small group within our home on a weekly basis where we share and live life together and challenge on another in missional living. The girls in our small group get together on a monthly basis over coffee or have a night in the hot tub for focused fellowship. We also participate in a monthly Bible study together digging into a book of the Bible. We love it! These things are manageable.

As far as hospitality goes, we usually open our home 1-2 times per month for general hospitality to families in our church or neighboring community. We have the freedom also to call one another as needed. I try to restrict phone calls to nap times so as not to detract me from my kiddos. But this can be an easy way to connect with others, to share needs, encourage one another, and pray without even leaving my home.

I’ve found that if I try to pack up multiple times per week and go somewhere with my kids, my homemaking certainly does suffer. My children ultimately suffer too. They love routine, regular nap periods, reading time together, and such. When we are constantly on the go, they are far more inclined to get grumpy and very needy. They lack Mommy’s focused attention. It’s nearly impossible to work on heart training when you are out and about as well. For the peace and growth of our family we need to be at home together.

There have been multiple times where I sat nursing my baby, untying a knotted shoe, and searching for directions to our destination all at the same time, while reminding one child (for the third time, I dare say) to find his coat, and the other to go to the bathroom. Getting three little kids that are rather helpless out the door is a lengthy and stressful process. I am helplessly impatient with my children as the moments tick by.

Mommy is certainly less stressed, children are more happy, and our household is better maintained when this Mommy slows down and finds delight in creatively using her time at home. If I am feeling lonely or experiencing self-pity about staying home, it is a reminder to stop and check my heart. Where am I seeking to find my fulfillment? Am I looking for my help in others first before my sweet Lord? Why not befriend a book, or the Book of all Books. I want to make sure my heart is still first and foremost towards my first mission – honoring the Lord in our family and home. Beautifying this place. Cultivating domestic serenity here and now.

We are learning valuable life skills and teamwork from our own home today as we work together cutting apples for the dehydrator, unloading the dishwasher, reading stories, memorizing poetry and verses, shaping letters, running around playing hide and seek, and taking a daily pause to rest. This is beautiful when you learn to see the art before your eyes. Time is too precious to waste too much of it running here and there.

I pray you would be blessed to be able to slow down and see the treasure of staying home and delighting in that.

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Here are some of our favorite Christmas reads for the season:

The Legend of the Christmas Tree by Rick Osborne

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

The Legend of the Christmas Stocking by Rick Osborne

The Story of St. Nicholas: More than Reindeer and A Red Suit by Voice of the Martyrs

The Three Gifts of Christmas by Jennie Bishop

The Tale of Three Trees by Angela Hunt

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski

The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs

The Gift of the Magi by O Henry

The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (adapted picture book version)

The Candle In the Window by Grace Johnson

Jacob’s Gift by Max Lucado

One Wintry Night by Ruth Graham Belle

Christmas Carols for Kids Hearts by Sergio Martinez

Josie’s Gift by Kathleen Bostrom

We Believe in Christmas by Karen Kingsbury

The Indescribable Gift by Richard Exley

Want to add your favorites to the list?

Why not stop with me, pick up a book and read to your little ones today. It’s the best foundation for their education.

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Chances are this week you’re in the thick of making a list and checking it twice and I’m sure you don’t think you need one more thing to think about. But even while encouraging simplicity this Christmas, I’m gonna throw out a unique challenge.

I’m gonna suggest you add one more thing to your list.

Your husband.

Yes, I know you have him on your list already, and maybe you’ve already found just the right gift to bless him on Christmas Day. But what about today? What about the busy weeks counting down to Christmas, when your time and energy are stretched to fulfill all that this season requires of you as a wife and mother and homemaker? Is there a way you can keep this most important relationship – this man God has given you, in the forefront of your thoughts, maintaining your friendship even in this hectic season?

There is a way you can add a little holiday spice to your marriage. It’s so simple, it’s almost corny. But I’ve been keeping this little tradition with my husband for 6 years and every year he says it’s his favorite part of the whole season.

We call it “Twelve Days” but it has nothing to do with Partridges and Pear Trees. The idea is that I give him a little gift on each of the twelve days leading up to Christmas. The gifts are not big, often just a favorite cookie or candy, but the value of the gift lies in that I’ve thought of him. When he finds 3 envelopes on the ‘Third Day of Christmas’ or a half a dozen of his favorite cookies on Day Six, his eyes light up like a kid at Christmas, and I fall in love with the tradition (and him!) all over again.

If you’d like to start this tradition in your house, it’s not too late! I usually call Dec. 13^th our ‘first day’, so you still have time to gather some things from around the house or on your next trip to town. Here’s a list of items to get you started…

Day 1: Any single object – this is where I usually spend a little money and give him something I’d otherwise have tucked under the tree. A hat, tool, piece of masculine jewelry, etc.

Day 2: Think pairs! Socks, gloves, matching mugs for him and her, sunglasses, pants, long underwear, tickets to a concert or a game.

Days 3, 4, 5, and 6: What comes in packs? Golf balls, socks, briefs, favorite candy, guitar picks, favorite beverage, refills for his razor.

Days 7, 8, 9, 10, 11: Higher numbers get a little trickier – just think ‘small’ and you can do it! Cookies, packaged and delivered to work. A CD with 11 songs. Post-it-note love notes hidden through the house.

Day 12: Think ‘by the dozen’ or ’12 months in a year’. A magazine subscription, coupons for a monthly date night or a dozen chicken wings for lunch.

More ideas…

• A book or film with a number in the title
• A series of emails or texts sent to him throughout the day
• A gift certificate or coupons for his favorite meal
• A collection of poems (Haiku is a quick and easy!)
• One year I publicly praised my husband by posting 10 things I loved about him on my blog

Get Romantic!

• Decorate your bedroom with a number of lit candles
• Love letters — New or old
• A custom CD of your favorite love songs
• Coupons to redeem for a massage — given by you!

Once you’ve collected your little gifts, wrap the items up and stash them away where he won’t find them. I jot down which gift I’m giving him on which day in my day planner so I don’t forget. I also like to plan when and how to present each gift — under his pillow, on his vehicle seat, in his work boots — so I have everything thought out in advance, and I can pull off our little tradition with ease despite the rush of those final days leading up to Christmas.

It takes just a little extra effort on my part to fit this in with everything else, but it is totally worth it for the sparkle it brings to our relationship at a time where it might otherwise suffer. It helps me keep my man my priority even when so many other things call. I look forward to Dec. 13^th and eagerly anticipate to the look on his face when he realizes his favorite tradition has begun again.

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By monthly contributor, Ann Dunagan of Harvest Ministry

‘Tis the season to be jolly . . . yet often overly busy.

Writing Christmas cards. Decorating the house. Buying and wrapping presents. Cooking. Baking. Preparing for parties and hospitality. Getting ready for church events. Just thinking about all these things we “need” to do can be exhausting, but it doesn’t need to be.

As we’re heading into the Christmas season, a time to celebrate God’s PEACE and joy, let’s remember to simply seek God for what should be done (and what activities could be eliminated to bring more of God’s presence into our homes and family).

To stay in God’s divine daily balance, let’s make PRAYER a priority!

Jon and I just returned home from a thrilling two-week mission outreach to East Africa, so in addition to all of our upcoming Christmas activities, I’m catching up with kiddos and homeschooling, doing weeks of past ministry correspondence (and laundry!!!), helping my husband with oversight for 500+ remote village pastors from nine different nations who are joining with our ministry, seeking God’s provision for 750+ orphan children, preparing for big-kids coming home from college (including a just-engaged son — making two upcoming summer weddings), plus thinking about what to do for upcoming holiday meals with lots of company and for three immediate-family-member December birthdays . . . Whew!!!

Is it possible to have peace in the midst of busyness?

YES!!! The key is casting our cares on the Lord, and spending special time in the presence of God, one-on-one with Jesus, our Almighty Prince of Peace.

The will of God —
nothing less, nothing more, nothing else.”
— F. E. Marsh

Real PEACE comes from the PRESENCE of Jesus!

Special moments at Guma Na Yesu Children

Think of everything Jesus needed to do!!!

I just love the example our Lord Jesus demonstrated to us during His time here on earth. Instead of being directed by the overwhelming needs of the moment, Jesus took time to pray and to seek the Heavenly Father’s perfect direction for each day, and did exactly (and only) what needed to be done . . .

Jesus only lived 33 years on earth and spent just 3 short years in ministry.

In this short time period, Jesus had more on His “to-do” list than any of of could ever comprehend.

• He was responsible for providing God’s only way of salvation for all humanity.

• He had to establish a brand-new worldwide training program (through scriptural teaching and personal example) to explain God’s eternal kingdom.

• He had to equip His ground-level leaders (in deep theology and practical life skills) for future global impact.

• And on top of all that, He couldn’t sin or make a mistake . . . not even once!

Even with such a limited time allotment, an eternally important job, and such spiritual “pressure” (from our point of view), Jesus was never rushed or stressed-out. In spite of all He needed to do (and because of all He needed to do), Jesus always took time to pray.

God’s perspective is so much different than ours.

During his 33 years on earth, Jesus took 30 years to live as a simple carpenter and to simply “be” with His Heavenly Father. Jesus was totally perfect and totally God-in-the-Flesh, yet throughout His life He took time to seek God’s direction and guidance. Even when everyone else was busy and multitudes had pressing needs, Jesus took time to be quiet and to get away, and to pray.

Mark 1:35-38 says,

“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He [Jesus] went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for you.”

But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”

Instead of being directed by the overwhelming needs of the moment, Jesus took time to pray in a solitary place (and He didn’t even tell His disciples where He was going). After this personal prayer time, Jesus knew the heavenly Father’s perfect direction for that day, and He did exactly what needed to be done.

If prayer was that important to Jesus, it should be important to us!

Finding PEACE . . . through PRAYER!

If you haven’t been praying regularly, it’s a good idea to begin by setting aside a particular new “MEETING TIME” with God:

• perhaps set your morning alarm a bit earlier

• perhaps establish a habit of reading the Bible as you’re sipping your morning coffee

• perhaps take time for the Lord during your children’s quiet time in the afternoon

• perhaps pray in the evening, after you put your kids to bed

May God bless you with PEACE this Christmas season . . . as you take time to seek Him in the quiet place, in a time of prayer.

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Here is our list of activities for this year:

Buy a new Christmas album and listen to it
Open and read a Christmas story book
Go to the mountain and find a Christmas tree
Make pumpkin bread and give to the neighbors
Sing Christmas carols around the tree
Make a fun Christmas ornament
Open and read a Christmas story book (Legend of the Christmas Stocking, Legend of the Christmas Tree, etc)
Wrap Christmas Gifts for our stockings
Make a popcorn/cranberry garland
Make Candy Cane Playdough – give some to neighbor friends
Make reindeer candy canes
Dance to Christmas music
Make a memory Christmas ornament – record memories from the year
Color a Christmas picture
Make coconut hot chocolate and stir with candy canes
Watch a Christmas movie and eat white chocolate peppermint popcorn
Build a Gingerbread house
Drive around and look for Christmas lights
Go visit Santa Claus
Make a Jesus Gift basket and deliver to a family in need
Have a camp out in front of the Christmas tree
Call grandma and grandpa and sing a Christmas song
Sing Christmas carols at senior citizens home
Watch The Nativity Story about the birth of Baby Jesus
Make a birthday cake for Jesus.

Merry Christmas!!!

Another idea we’d like to do throughout the month as we receive various Christmas cards from family and friends is to read/look at the cards together and pray for the families in turn.

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Note from Lindsay: We are excited to welcome Daniele at Domestic Serenity as a new monthly contributor! Daniele is a lovely pastor’s wife and mother of five children and has lots of wonderful wisdom and insight to share with us on living simply and intentionally. Check out her blog for sweet encouragement! So without further ado… here’s Daniele.

 ”Okay kids!  Here’s the plan and agenda for today — first, we’re running to the craft store for supplies, a quick stop for groceries, then off to the library to check out our holiday books…won’t that be fun?  After lunch, we’ll bake gingerbread – lots – and deliver the cookies to our neighbors.  Oh, and we’ll shop for our Angel Tree child somewhere in there!

When Daddy gets home, off to get our own tree!  We’ll decorate, have hot chocolate, play Christmas music and do our Advent calendar.  This year we’re reading some exciting stories each night that I know you’ll just love!  Right before bed, we’ll pause to choose a few gifts for those in need.  Hmm, what shall it be — chickens, pigs, Bibles, a bicycle?  Can’t wait to decide!  This is going to be such a fabulous day, right?

Kids?  Kids!?…”

{Mom looks around to find that her children have dozed off.  She sighs and wakes them.  Off they go into the day.}

Okay, so this is a fictitious scenario I’m imagining with Mom excitement-filled and kids running very quickly out of fuel.  It’s too full of over-the-top-activity that none of us would actually attempt.

Or do we?   Reflect for a moment on the upcoming holiday season :: the plans, ideas, gatherings, celebrations, activities and timeline of events for your family.  Now think of the little ones in your home (or the big kiddos as well).  Does the pace ahead provide some breathing room, time for pause to soak it all in, some time for…

…serenity?

Serenity is a fancy word for a state of stillness or calm, of peacefulness.  We all gravitate towards this need because I believe our Maker created us with a ‘pause-o-meter’.  An internal reminder that our minds, our hearts, our bodies can only go so fast and so long before burning out.  The same is true for our children.

I’ll be the first to admit of this tendency to over-schedule November and December with good things, but plans nonetheless that rob our home and my little ones of the greatest gift I could bless them with during the holidays — time for pause.  Time to reflect.  Time for serenity.

I’m committing to three areas of provision for this gift in our home.  Perhaps we could all use a gentle reminder — care to join me?

Serenity Socially

Simply put — I’m cutting back on people contact.  Instead of succumbing children to extra doses of hustle bustle, seek to run errands in larger chunks while they stay with a spouse, friend or sitter.  If there’s a stretch of many activities, try for days ahead or afterwards of just being home, sandwiching the fullness with rest on either side.

Prioritize which people events to include the children, which to provide for another option and which to say ‘no’ to for this year.

Serenity Physically & Emotionally

Little bodies become weary much quicker than Mom or Dad, so pausing and keeping to routines and schedules should play a huge role.  When I cut short the toddler’s nap, no wonder he’s not interested in smiling for pictures later or in Christmas crafts {or such is our case, wails loudly in aforementioned craft store! Ahem.}

Evaluating how much stimuli surrounds our days is important — offering the sights and sounds of the season in bite-sized doses instead of too much at once allows children time to receive each one, and to enjoy.

When are children are physically rested, their emotions are more likely to stay in check.

Serenity Spiritually

Scheduling our families to complete a large list of hospitable and charitable activities can leave us just short of irritable.  That’s not quite the gospel Jesus had in mind.  He does asks us to meet needs of those less fortunate and to open our homes, yet we should choose wisely and carefully how to involve our families.  How can your home attend to this commission while still honoring Christ’s command to rest?

The same is true for spiritual instruction during this season – it’s a marathon, not a sprint.  Each passing year as we’re faithful to teach, our children understand more and more.  There’s no need to download it all at once or to fear that they won’t get ‘the reason for the season’.  They will.  A little bit at a time.

The holidays are a celebratory time, yet they’re not in isolation from the rest of life.  We can and should provide for both a joyous and peaceful season in our homes, and especially for our children.

Grace in the journey…

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We are all very much aware how much time and energy Christmas preparations can consume and how easily we can loose focus on the true meaning of it all. Every year I have to sit down and prayerfully evaluate what we should and should not do this season. We want to keep our hearts in tune and limit the clutter. Here are a few ways we are simplifying this year…

1. Photo cards – get them shipped for you!

For the last several years we have been intentional about sending out Christmas photo cards to our extended family and friends as a means of letting others know that they are loved and thought of during the holiday season. It is a simple way of staying connected and communicate Christ’s love across the miles. We don’t do any fancy letter but love to send out a simple greeting with our annual family photo. But I admit, it is certainly taxing to address and stamp all the cards and get them shipped in a timely fashion. This year, I am simplifying it further and paying a company to address and ship them for me! I found that Card Store will address and ship your cards for free with any purchase. They have some great sales running right now too – 50% off today! One less thing to fill my plate!

2. Limiting the Gifts – stockings only!

While our children young I wanted to establish the proper understanding of the reason and purpose of Christmas. I want our hearts to focus on the blessing of giving with the majority of our Christmas budget resources. We want to cultivate hearts of generosity in our children from a young age, thus we participate in Operation Christmas Child and we chose a family that we can adopt and bless with a Jesus Gift. So this year we are establishing a new tradition of only giving gifts that fit in our stockings with a specific gift budget of $25 per child and $50 for my husband and I. So I’ve purchased an assortment of fun learning things: Classical Kids CDs, art supplies, Brain Quest, garden gloves & kids garden tools. This has really helped simplify the gift giving process, as my size and cost are limited, thus my choices are limited.

3. Name Drawing – one gift per side of the family

For gift giving for extended family, we draw names. So we just have one person on each side of the family to buy for. This makes holiday celebrations simple and kept within a reasonable budget. Since we are a married couple, we put our name down together in the hat so if one of our unmarried siblings pick our name they buy a gift that would be appropriate for both of us. I am sure it would be easier to stop gifting to extended family all together, but there is certainly something special in sharing with one another even in a small way.

Beyond our own family, we like to choose just one other baked goodie that we can bless our neighbors and any one else we are trying to reach out to. This year, I am making small mini loaves of pumpkin bread.

4. Pre-plan and limit family outings

In early November, we plan out our outings for the Christmas season. We make a list of all the different activities, concerts, plays, etc. that we could participate in, and then we choose our top 3 activities that we would like to attend for the year, and then we often rotate in the coming years. This year, Aaron is taking Karis on a special Daddy/daughter date to a local adapted production of the Nutcracker, and we will attend our local Macy’s Day Parade, and a children’s version of Handel’s Messiah. We always prefer things that can be fun family outings rather than adults only events.

What steps are you taking to keep Christmas simple this year?

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Current Sponsors:

• Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique - Where green comes naturally - free shipping on cloth diapers and more!
• The Willow Store - Reusable diapers, dryer balls, and natural resources for your home
• Jenuinely Pure -Organic products for the body, face, home and baby
• Paula's Bread -Kitchen appliances and safe tools for all your homemade health adventures
• Tell Your Time - How to Schedule Your Time to Live Your Life Fulfilled eBook