Merry Christmas!

It seems that Christmas has snuck up on us this year!  3 days separate us from the most anticipated day of the year...and I am just now making a Christmas music list, and cookies are nowhere in sight!  We just got home Sunday night from a week of staff training, and a very fun Darst Christmas in Shelby.  On top of much traveling, I have a toddler (yep..you read that right!) who is teething (that's our guess anyway) and is very very fussy.  She is presently in her bed because that is the only place she seems to be able to calm down. Tylenol is our only hope.

In the midst of the elevated stress levels at our house, there is joy.  Clint and I are super excited about spending our very first Christmas at home.  My parents and sister are coming to join us in creating memories, enjoying our new home, and starting some new traditions.  Something that the Lord has convicted me of in the past few years, is making an effort to make Christmas about Christ.  It seems pretty obvious that it should be, but the Americanization of Christmas has sadly often left Jesus out of it.
So here are a few things we plan to do to ensure our hearts and minds will be turned to the Prince of Peace this Christmas.

1) Nativity Scenes- Since Thanksgiving, we have had our nativity scenes out.  This seems normal, but this year we have two that are solely for Eden.  One in her room, one under the tree.  It's amazing how sponge-like little ones really are.  Within 2 weeks, Eden learned that the pink-cheeked baby in the hay's name was "Jee-us".  Mission accomplished.

2) Reading the Story- We have read to Eden Luke's account of Christ's birth a few times.  She isn't overly interested. :)  Last night we starting reading the delightfully illustrated and captivatingly worded The Jesus Storybook Bible.  This is an amazing little book.  It not only helps children understand the stories of the Bible, but every single story points back to Jesus and to God's plan to redeem His people.  Not only that, it has breathed new life into the way I now read God's word!  Somehow, the reminder of the big wonderful story, even as an adult, will bring out the 5 year old in you.

3) Emphasis on Giving- last year Clint and I decided that we wanted one of our family traditions at Christmas to be an emphasis on giving.  We are so wired to want to receive, but God tells us that "it is more blessed to give than to receive"(Acts 20:35).  I wholeheartedly believe this.  Gifts are not bad things, in fact, the Bible talks about gifts a lot!  Gifts are good things, and God is the best gift giver there is!  It is just that we want our children to grow up knowing first hand that loving and being generous is much more blessed than even getting a much anticipated gift. In light of this, we will be orienting the gifts around who's turn it is to give, not whose turn it is to get.

Hopefully, there will be many more traditions to add to our list!  Thankfully, I feel like I have some time to think about more specifics before Miss Eden has a memory (or so I think)!  I hope these get your creative juices flowing about how to make Christ the gift this year!  Merry Christmas!