The day after Thanksgiving is famous for two different things. Shopping and decorating. My agenda today? Decorating! You may be surprised that I can consider decorating for Christmas part of the Birthday gifts for Jesus but I do. When I throw a party for my children, decorations are part of the event! And CHRISTmas is just the same. But there are some ideas that I would like to share with you to truly make Jesus feel at home at His birthday party in your own home.
A CHRISTmas tree! Now, I know that there is some controversy about the CHRISTmas tree but in my home, we have a tree and I love it! This year, for the first time I am going to do something that I've never done before but I'm really excited about! Jolene Engle gave me the starting idea but I'm taking it and running with it! I'm going to take a silver pen and my ball ornaments and I'm writing a different name for Jesus on each one. That way, my CHRISTmas tree will point to Christ. I could just stop there, BUT I'm also taking those ornaments and each night at family devotions, we're going to talk about one different name for Jesus during our family devotions and my children will take turns hanging them up on the tree.
Nativity scenes! I love these, my mom collects them and I think I'm following in her footsteps because I absolutely LOVE them! I have several that are beautiful and are put up on a shelf and I have to lift my children up to see them - you know, the off-limits ones! BUT then there are the ones that I want my children to play with. I have a clear plastic one that sits on the tree skirt at the base of the CHRISTmas tree. And I have this Playmobil one that they received last year for CHRISTmas. We get them out only at CHRISTmas and I tell them the Nativity story so they can reenact the story themselves throughout CHRISTmas. 
One thing to remember as you are decorating your home for CHRISTmas, is that this special time is to celebrate CHRIST and not the masses. If you haven't watched the video that I posted in this link, please do so and reflect on how you point your family to Him this CHRISTmas season.
Now I am off to decorate!!! Tomorrow we will hear from our first guest speaker (for a list of all of them go here!) and will continue the Birthday Gifts for Jesus series! Please share this series on your Facebook, your blog, however you wish so we can all strive together to throw the biggest Birthday party for Jesus yet!
December 24th through the 26th come back and link up a post about how YOU celebrated Jesus's birthday and pointed your family to CHRIST this CHRISTmas season!
Merry CHRISTmas!
Great ideas Ann. I love to decorate for CHRISTmas and cannot wait to do that this weekend with my family.
ReplyDeleteWe're hoping to get some decorating done this weekend too!
ReplyDeleteWe have a set of cardboard ornaments called Adornaments (I think it's from Family Life) and each ornament is a picture describing one of the names of Jesus (Lamb, Light, Lion, Door, Bread, etc.) Every year we read through the book that goes with the ornaments and put one on the tree each night. It's become a wonderful family tradition, and our girls are now 11 and 13!
I really love the names of Jesus ornament idea. May have to do that one ourselves this year! It would be a great way to end each day. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI really loved this post & am excited about the whole series! As my husband & I begin establishing our own traditions, we are really wanting them to point to Christ. We LOVED the ornament idea you shared & purchased our silver paint pen last night! :)
ReplyDeleteWe got our Christmas things out of storage & I can't wait to set up my Nativity scene and decorate the rest of the house today!