Preparing My Family for Christmas

It's the end of the year and Christmas is once again around the corner. This year I want to start a tradition for my family that is new to us but actually has been a practice of many Christian families for generations. I'm talking about preparing for Christmas by having an Advent Calendar. I want Christmas for my kids to be meaningful as much as it is fun. I hear them talking about Christmas all year long because of the gifts on their wish lists, and I hardly hear them speaking of the real reason why Christmas exists in the first place. I thought about this and I realized that I am the same way. For me, Christmas is the most hectic season of the year. I don't really look forward to it because that means that I'll be drowning with gifts to wrap, Christmas tags to order, Christmas goodies to bake and decorate, parties to attend, and of course a pile of expenses!

As I was enumerating the endless things to prepare for Christmas, it dawned on me, I was thinking of Christmas-this, Christmas-that, yet I had forgotten Christ. I had forgotten the celebrant.

None of us would be happy if people took our birthdays to celebrate themselves, but that's what we do every year. We've forgotten the reason for the season.

That's why this year, I'm going to make the changes. First on my list is to remind my children of why we celebrate Christmas, that it's not just any ordinary holiday, that it's not just another long weekend, most of all that it's really not about the gifts they get. I want them to know that Christmas is about the most important person in our lives: Jesus, the greatest gift we could ever receive.

This Christmas, I want to prepare my family by deliberately preparing our hearts and minds, as well as our home for this amazing season of Christmas.

Preparing Our Hearts and Minds
To prepare our hearts and minds, I'll be reading (actually re-reading) these books to my kids. I want them to remember that Jesus came here because He loves us so much. That's the whole point of Christmas. It's the season to celebrate Jesus' coming.

One of them is Max Lucado's Children's Treasury

There are four great stories inside and they all talk about Jesus' coming. It teaches us about how Jesus' coming made it possible for us to have a special place in heaven and a special purpose here on earth.

Another one of my favorite books is The Jesus Storybook Bible, which very simply illustrates how Jesus can be found in all the life stories of the people mentioned in the Bible. Even before His coming, He was already present in their lives.

The point of preparing our hearts and minds is to remind ourselves of "WHY" we have Christmas in the first place. I want my kids to know that we enjoy the freedom we have because of what Jesus did, because He came to Earth for us. I wish that learned about the significance of Christmas at a younger age, I would have appreciated more just how amazing God's love for us really is.


Preparing Our Home
To prepare our home, we're going to start celebrating more of the Christian traditions of Christmas. Particularly getting the kids used to having an Advent calendar on Christmas.

An Advent calendar is a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Some calendars are strictly religious, whereas others are secular in content. Despite the name, most commercially available Advent calendars begin on December 1, regardless of when Advent begins, which can be as early as November 27 and as late as December 3. Many take the form of a large rectangular card with "windows" of which there are often 24: one for each day of December leading up to Christmas Day. One is opened every day during Advent. In many of these calendars, each window opens to reveal an image, a poem, or a portion of a story such as the story of the Nativity of Jesus. More elaborate Advent calendars have a small gift concealed in each window, such as a toy or a chocolate item. (read more about it here: Advent Calendar)

This is the first time we'll be doing this as a family. I remember some friends and I gathered together with other friends and our kids to celebrate one Advent. It was a one-time thing but I remember how meaningful it was. Doing this consistently with my kids will impact them for the rest of their lives. I'm excited also because it also involves making crafts with my kids. I love doing things with my kids!

I researched online for cool Advent calendar ideas. Here are some:

Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart always has the coolest, most creative crafts. Her website is the first I go to when I'm feeling crafty. She has a lot of other cool crafts for Christmas. Makes me wish that I had more time to try them out .

(http://www.marthastewart.com/857740/handmade-advent-calendars/@center/307034/christmas-workshop)

Modern Parents, Messy Kids
Here's another informative website. They have all sorts of activities for parents and children.
http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2012/11/do-you-have-your-advent-calendar-yet.html#more-5434

Who can resist this Lego Advent Calendar? Maybe if we run out of time, hehe.

other links:
http://thesewingloftblog.com/2011/11/28/how-to-holiday-advent-calendar/
http://mostlovelythings.blogspot.com/2011/12/advent-calendar-decorating-with-old.html


Preparing to Give
All of these activities should lead to something practical. God loved us so He gave us Jesus. He gave us a gift. I plan to talk to my kids about generosity and how we can help people know Jesus. I remember when I was younger, on Christmas day, my family and I would go out and buy burgers, fries and drinks from Mcdonald's and give them out to the street children or the beggars we passed by. During that time, all I thought of was about how fun it was to give and that it warmed my heart to see their faces light up receiving our small gifts. I didn't know it at the time, but the reason why it felt so satisfying is because we were doing what God wants us to do which is to give love.

With everything that's happening around us, all the cares and the dreams and the challenges, many  people are too poor or too clueless to appreciate Christmas. For these people, Christmas is just another ordinary day. They don't expect gifts. They don't expect for Noche Buena. They don't attend Christmas parties. They don't buy their Christmas outfits. They don't worry about giving gifts to their loved ones. Christmas is meaningless to them. What more knowing that Jesus is the reason for the season? It's a sad reality. There are those who have all the trimmings and get to go to the best places, but because they miss Jesus, they're just as poor as those who have nothing.

I want to prepare myself and my kids to give. I want them to enjoy giving. I want to learn this myself. I want us to get our eyes off ourselves, off plastic toys, or tables of food, or red and green decoration. I want us to celebrate the blessing God gave us, by giving our blessings to others.

I'm a little overwhelmed just writing this. I've never done this and being a single mom means I juggle quite a bit. I do not look forward to the traffic, nor the crowds, nor the spending, but I do look forward to celebrating the birthday, of the One who set me free.