In Other Words- Christmas

I have often read other ladies blogs who have participated in this weekly theme. Today I thought I would join in.

*Please overlook the layout of this post. I am having technical difficulities!

How easy it can be to fall into feeling like the Grinch this time of year. The pressure to have the perfectly decorated home, send out oodles of Christmas cards, bake 10 different varieties of Christmas cookies and at least 5 types of sweet breads, buy the perfect gifts for each one on you list, attend parties and plays, and

do it all with a cheerful heart and smiling face.

How easily we forget what Christmas is truly about. I am guilty of this myself. Just this morning, as I was trying to get each of the boys settled into their school work and telling Miss Thing, at least 50 times, to be quiet, I started to feel angst. There is so much to do and so little time. I haven't finished purchasing gifts. Christmas baking? Forget it. Christmas cards, oh boy, I haven't even started. How am I going to provide a Merry Christmas for my family, when I can't even tackle my every day to-do list? The ironic thing is I just wrote a post last Monday on how I was going to keep Christ in Christmas. But with my attitude this morning, I am far from accomplishing that. I am feeling more like a yelling at the top on my lungs BA HUM-BUG!

I think, if Christmas is going to mean a bit more this year, I need to focus on doing less. I will not worry about Christmas cards this year. I will take time to focus on Christ's birth. I won't bake hoards of Christmas goodies. I will bake just enough to share with our elderly neighbors. I won't decorate like Martha Stewart. I will let my children decorate the tree. My goal will be to focus on the beauty of the season and finding ways to do it simply.

If I am going to make Christ the focus of the season, then I need to put Him first. I can't do that if I allow myself to get caught up in the non-essential traditions. I desire to help my children see that Christmas is more than gifts, cookies and cards. It is about giving your heart to the Lord Jesus who came as an infant to this world to save us from our sin. Jesus provides so much more than what can be "bought in a store."

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