CHRISTmas BLOG HOP!

Merry CHRISTmas

It's time for the CHRISTmas Blog Hop! This blog hop will last from now through Wednesday the 28th so you have plenty of time to link-up all about your Christmas! Anything goes but I would LOVE to hear about how you celebrated Jesus birthday with any special family traditions! Posts with your kiddos opening presents is just fine too. 

The only thing I ask is that you include this button so if people missed out on the Birthday Gifts for Jesus Series, they can read about it and maybe tuck some ideas away for next year! 

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Now go link up!! :0)

In HIS Grip, 
               

Jesus IS the Gift: Christmas Eve Tradition!

Wow, what a great series this has been! I know I've been encouraged, inspired, and challenged through reading about the many ways each of these families make their Christmas celebrations CHRIST centered! I've gotten several ideas that I hope to incorporate into our Christmas celebration in the future!

I know many of you have older children, but I’m guessing there may be at least a few of you who, like me, have only very young kids at home. My oldest, Lily, just turned three and is only just now beginning to be interested in crafts and able to sit and listen to a story for more than a couple of minutes.

Because of this, I’m constantly on the lookout for simple, effective ways to communicate the gospel in a way that will connect with a toddler’s interest and attention span. If you can relate then maybe you’d like to try this easy yet powerful way to illustrate to your children (young or old) that Jesus is the single most important gift that we’ve ever been given. This is so easy and requires so little preparation and time, you could even still do it THIS YEAR!

The idea is this: On Christmas Eve, after your children have gone to bed, take the baby Jesus from your nativity set and wrap it up like a present. Place this gift in front of the other presents under the tree and when the children come down the next morning, have them unwrap it first. Spend some time talking about how Jesus was the first and greatest Christmas gift ever given and thank God with your children for giving us this present.

We also always like to close our present opening time by setting aside our new gifts and joining together in prayer as a family to thank God for the ways he has blessed us, both materially and otherwise.

Whether young or old, I pray God will work through you to reach the heart’s of your children this Christmas.

About Amy: Twenty-something wife, and mom to two beautiful baby girls. Married to my best friend. Happily employed at my dream job as a stay at home mommy. A bit of a neat freak and a perfectionist who often falls short of her goals. Lover of all things vintage and wanna-be crafter. Most importantly...a flawed daughter of the King of Kings overwhelmed by His grace and mercy! You can visit Amy at My Front Porch Looking In.

This CONCLUDES our Birthday Gifts for Jesus Guest Series! Can you believe that CHRISTmas Eve is tomorrow? It has been so exciting to hear from so many of you and to hear how God has been working in your own homes to bring Christ to the forefront of His birthday. It is my prayer that tomorrow will be the best CHRISTmas ever because it pointed you and your family to Him. A HUGE thank you to all of my wonderful guest writers who all took part in this series and also had a great affect on the CHRISTmas in our own home! 

Don't forget, tomorrow begins the Birthday gifts for Jesus link-up party! Obviously, celebrate, celebrate, celebrate this special time with your family! But when you are done, come back and share about your Birthday party! You most likely will be sharing about your Christmas on your blog anyway, so let's all blog hop about it together! 

God Bless you and your family and have a very 

Merry CHRISTmas! 

Intentional Celebration

As believers and followers of Christ my husband and I desire for our children to celebrate the real reason for Christmas. But I’ll be honest and say that even for this pastor’s family it’s not always easy to keep the focus on Christ. I believe with all my heart that to keep Jesus the center of Christmas we must be intentional in our planning and fight like crazy for the implementation of that plan. Because the self centered focus of our world is preying on us daily. It sells the lie that if you love your kids you’ll give them everything they want and you can even give them more if you give up your family time on Thanksgiving night to go after all the amazing deals out there. (Yes, I caved and did this once like a madwoman. I even ran in the parking lot. I know, ridiculous.) 

Outdoor Nativity Church Program

There are other ways we lose Jesus in Christmas and it even comes in the form of good churchy things like a gazillion Christmas plays, performances and programs of the coolest sounding Christmas carols but in the hectic schedules of trying to find the perfect outfit and baking the best made from scratch cookies we lose sight of what the party is all about to begin with. And so again, we must work hard to fight against the culture of our world and sometimes even our churches when we snuff out quiet reflective family time so that we can fit in just one more church activity. 

I love that Ann is working up this series because you can go to one place and read some great ideas of how to practically keep Jesus the focus of your Christmas. Some will grab you immediately (like her Mother’s post did for me) and others may not be a great fit for your family for whatever reason. But if we pray and ask God to help us keep Him the focus this season, He will do it. Rest and have confidence in the fact that He wants to be all up in your Christmas-business and so as you ask Him to show you how, trust that He will. 

As far as our family goes….this is what we’re doing this year to keep Jesus the center. 

1) A Jesse Tree Advent Devotional by Ann Voscamp.

Love this daily devotional. It’s amazing. Please go check it out. We have our little dogwood branch and we do this almost every day. Because we have to fight for this intentionality and because we don’t always win, sometimes we…….I really hate to confess this…. but sometimes we do three in one day. I know, pretty lame but true. Oh well. 

2) We created an advent basket for a sweet lady who is caregiving for her aging mother. You can check out more about advent baskets at Molly Piper’s blog. 

Photo Source 

Basically you wrap a gift for each day of the month in December and you deliver the basket full of presents to a person you commit to pray for during the month. There is more to it but that’s it in a nutshell. Our family did this last year and it was a wonderful experience. This year the kids understood more that we were giving up something (a real Christmas tree) in order to give something special to someone else. They helped pick out and wrap each of the 25 gifts. We secretly delivered to the person and on December 25th the person will open a card wishing them a Merry Christmas and disclosing who we are. Love this project because it keeps us remembering that at Christmas God gave his dearest treasure for others and so for us to give to others is close the heart of God. 

I have found some great ideas through Ann’s blog and I want to incorporate them so badly but I am choosing to wait until next year because I know myself. If I get too many things going at once I will not do any of them well or with purpose. It will be more of a checklist of cool ideas to keep Jesus the center instead of truly savoring Him this season. But I’m keeping a file for future ideas. 

I pray your family will grow in Christ this season as you intentionally remember and celebrate Him as a newborn babe and Savior to the world we live in. 

About Melody: I am married to the most wonderful man in the world. Why he puts up with me, I have NO idea! My husband pastors our amazing church and I am his wife. He lets me be “me” and doesn’t make me bang on the piano, wear long skirts or carry a huge calico covered Bible. I don’t even sit on the front row. Do I sound like a rebel saint? I’m neither, promise! I do love to laugh and play jokes on people. Pink tulips give me the squeal appeal and I love chocolate too much. God is truly my life saver. You think I’m nuts now, but I would be even scarier without Him in my life. True story. You can find me at Life is a Bowl of Wedgies! 

CHRISTmas Blog Hop starts Christmas Eve!

Have you been enjoying the Birthday Gifts for Jesus series? I know I have! I've even started a few little things here and there that have really added to CHRISTmas this year! There is still more to come! My amazing guest contributors still have more coming!

I just wanted to take a moment to invite you to Stringer Mama's Giant CHRISTmas blog hop Birthday Party for Jesus! We're all going to be celebrating Jesus' birthday and most likely blogging about the special day or days surrounding His special day so here is a place that you can share all about it! The blog hop will start on CHRISTmas Eve Morning (a week from today!) and last through Wednesday, December 28th.

So keep this blog hop in mind as you go about your CHRISTmas season! You can link up to a new post, an old post explaining how you celebrate CHRISTmas, your CHRISTmas traditions, your kids opening CHRISTmas presents, WHATEVER! If it's about CHRISTmas - link up! All I ask is that you consider that this is Jesus' birthday party and that HE would be welcome on your post!

If you'd like to plan ahead, here is the button for the link-up that you will need!

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In HIS Grip, 
               

CHRISTmas Story Acting!

This year we started a new tradition. Acting out the Christmas story! 

I am no supermom, the thought of crafts and elaborate plans intimidate me. But I wanted our kids to better understand WHY we celebrate Christmas. The books are great but most kids learn by doing. Instead of over-complicating things, I tried my hand at a simple play. 

Thankful for our southern weather, the backyard became a stage as we acted out the Christmas story! We started by watching the story online so they would get a better idea of what we were doing. 

We used this clip. It is beautifully done and perfect for all ages.

Then we pulled out some dress up clothes, got the help of a baby doll and a belt to have a “pregnant Mary” and then began the story! 

In our first “scene” we took a census. We took note of different items in our home to better explain the census that was ordered just before Jesus’ birth. Then “Caesar” (a.k.a me) ordered Mary (our 4 yr old) and Joseph (our 2 yr old...not pictured because she was always doing something crazy) to travel to Bethlehem on a donkey (a.k.a me....no comments from the peanut gallery)

We first traveled to the “inn” (the outdoor playhouse). There was no room there so we then traveled to the manger (the baby trampoline) where baby Jesus was born (she has no idea how that really works yet). 

We rejoiced and sang songs and celebrated the birth of the King! We had imaginary wise men and shepherd's that came to visit baby Jesus. 

It was such a joy to see her better understand the story through our play. We didn't do every single detail with our four and two year old but for their age I think it was perfect! 

The whole thing took about a half hour. It was simple, and she has talked about it for days! Now when people talk about Christmas gifts she says, “We give gifts at Christmas because Jesus was the greatest gift of all! 

Share your thoughts, what simple and practical ways are you keeping Christ in Christmas?

About Katie: I’m a gardener, giggler, and y’all user. If sleep had a fan club I would be the president. The more I get to know Jesus the more I fall in love. I am officially over pretending to be a perfect Christian, wife, mom, and homemaker…nobody likes perfect people anyway! You can find me on Twitter or Facebook or Imperfectpeople.net

Snatching Gifts AWAY from Jesus

Christmas stress. You know what I'm talking about! So much to do, places to go, things to see, presents to buy, traveling to plan, families are family, children are children and mothers are going CRAZY! 

I just had such a crazy day. My house was a disaster, the babysitter was coming to watch the kids (so of course that means I need to clean it!) so my hubbie and I could go out on a romantic date. A woman from our church was coming in a couple of hours to help me decorate the church for Christmas. And a computer repairman was coming to fix the church computer which had recently blown it's motherboard. Oh and the romantic date with my hubbie?? SOOOO not figured out! We had NO CLUE what we were going to do because honestly, we had no time to even talk about it! Do you get the picture of my crazy day? Oh wait, I forgot to tell you about ME! 

I was an upset, stressed, unshowered, short-tempered (okay - short temper SOOO gone!) MESS. AND my hubbie was playing a hockey game on the computer. ahem. It was suddenly all HIS fault. I huffed off to my children's bedrooms to start cleaning the chaos that was currently reigning. That's when I saw her. A mother quite like myself who had gotten tangled up in the things that HAD to happen for Christmas. 

All of the things, even the things with the good intentions (like the Birthday Gifts for Jesus ideas on this blog!) can so easily become a distraction and KILL the CHRISTlike spirit that is so necessary for a successful CHRISTmas. 

Is stress and activity overload snatching your joy and commitment to your Savior this holiday season? In a sense, by submitting to a stressful Christmas, you are snatching Birthday Gifts AWAY from Jesus. So take a few minutes and do some soul searching and make sure your heart is in the right place as a special Birthday Gift for Jesus. Maybe meditate on this verse as you contemplate the real reason for the season. 

"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him."

(1 John 4:9 ESV)

In HIS Grip, 
               

I am linked up with: 

Neighborhood Sweet Treats

My Mom makes oliebollen* for her neighbors every year around Christmas time. She's done this for as long as I can remember. We'd pile a mountain of the goodies on a festive paper plate, dust them with icing sugar, cover them with plastic wrap, attach a card, and deliver them throughout the neighborhood as a family.

Our humble Christmas offering was always warmly received and often led to long over-due neighborly chit chat. It was a simple way of keeping in touch with the neighbors and letting them know we care. And, it gave us the opportunity to present Jesus as the Reason for the Season to those who might not hear about the good tidings of great joy otherwise.

Now I live in a different neighborhood with my own little family, but the fond memories I have sharing oliebollen in Christmases past, have inspired me to carry on the same tradition. Instead of oliebollen, however (I have a deep-fryer phobia), we like to make our own candies and serve them in a cheery tin.

I'm quite certain that any home-baked delicacy would be a pleasure to receive, but if you're looking for a recipe that is simple, quick to prepare, makes a large batch, and can easily involve the whole family, feel free to use or tweak which we'll call Neighborhood Sweet Treats for the sake of this post. (Right click, "save", and print for the recipe alone)

The packaging ideas are limitless. The Dollar Store has several cut tins which you can easily dress up using scraps of raffia and paper. Most important, is the accompanying card. Though the outside need not be anything spectacular, what's on the inside can change your neighbor's life - God's Word will not return unto Him void. (Isaiah 55:11)

Not sure what to write? Here are a few "Christmas" verses that clearly present the Gospel. Be sure to include the reference so your neighbors are given the opportunity to discover these truths in the Bible for themselves. 

After delivering your gifts and good tidings, pray together as a family for those who have just received them. Ask the Lord to open the door of their hearts so that they would recognize their need of a Savior and find in Jesus the gift of Eternal Life in Heaven.

*Olibollen is a traditional Dutch delicacy similar to an apple fritter except made with raisins and cinnamon instead. The deep-fried "oil balls" are usually served with icing sugar on New Year's Eve. They're terribly unhealthy, but oh-so-yummy when eaten fresh!

Jacinda is a sinner saved by grace, the cherished wife to her husband of three years, Brad, and the blessed mama to two precious children so far - Charity (2), and Judah (7 months). She is a homeschool graduate with counseling certificates from CCEF, and passionate about serving the Lord as a "keeper at home." You can find her blogging about her adventures in homemaking at Growing Home, where she records the struggles and triumphs of crafting, gardening, homeschooling sticky-fingered toddlers, living a counter-cultural life, and cooking gluten-free.

I am linked up with: 

   

CHRISTmas Food to Bring Him Praise!

When I look back to my own Christmas memories there is always one tradition that stands out..it wasn't the Christmas tree or the presents..it was our tradition of baking a Happy Birthday cake to Jesus!

I love this idea because I think food is powerful. Our kitchen is everyones favorite part of our home and I believe the meal table is also very important to keeping our family strong and close. Food has this effect!

My children love to do any kind of cooking with me in the kitchen, I can remember so many memories of myself cooking and baking with my mom and grandmother. Food creates such sweet memories. Jesus asks us to drink the wine and eat the bread to remember him.

"...and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." (1 Corinthians 11:24)

This shows that food is powerful and can be very meaningful especially in the eyes of our Lord!

I remember the first time I told my children that we were going to bake Jesus a cake, their eyes lit up and they were sooo excited.. they couldn't wait! It becomes so real to your children that Christmas is a birthday celebration!

Here is our cake last year:

We usually write "Happy Birthday Jesus" this time we added candy cane kisses. I love sharing the history of the candy cane:

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness for Jesus, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane.

White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and sinless nature of Jesus.

The hardness of the candy was used to to symbolize the Solid Rock, the Foundation of the Church and firmness of the promises of God.

The candy maker also created the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus.

The red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ at the cross so we could have the promise of eternal life.

What an amazing history lesson you can teach your children while baking your cake! Candy canes are so popular but not many know that it was made to symbolize our Savior, Jesus!

We end our special Christmas day with the tradition of cuddling up and watching The Nativity Story. I think this movie is very well made and family friendly. You can purchase it here. I did see it in a $5 bin at Walmart. ;) The story that we have read to our children over and over comes alive in this film!

You can watch the trailer here:

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending us the greatest Gift, the birth of your Son! Please fill me with creative ideas to make this Christmas a meaningful holiday, focused on you. Help me to not get stressed and lose sight this December. Work within our home and fill it with your presence..guiding each member in my family to trully know in their hearts what a miracle the birth of Christ is. Help my children to remember the memories we create and to never forget the true meaning of Christmas ~ Amen

I pray you all have a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our King and Savior Jesus Christ!

About Sarah Beth: I have been married to my hubby for 7 years, we have 3 children. . . I am my husbands helpmeet, a mother, my children's teacher and keeper of my home. I love: reading, soapmaking, breadmaking, cooking, natural home remedies, learning more about herbs, large families, thrifty deal seeker, hymns, herbal teas, learning to sew, swimming, long walks and crisp cold winter air! You can find me at His Loving Presence!

I am linked up with: 

    

Missing the Point of CHRISTmas

My parents divorced when I was one. I spent my childhood alternating holidays between my mother and father. In my younger years both homes made the most of the Christmas season. As I got older my father became a single man once again after divorcing yet another stepmother. The Christmas flame seemed to be diminishing in his heart and so if us kids wanted a festive atmosphere, it was up to us to create it. 

Is the point of CHRISTmas missing in your home?

And so my little brother and I would drag out the boxes of meager decorations and get to work making the house come alive with the spirit of Christmas. 

The decorations were nice. It felt somewhat right...somewhat. There was always an element missing. It wasn't until I was 15 that I realized what that element was...I was missing the whole point of Christmas. I was missing that babe in the manger. I was missing the Son who stepped down from Heaven. The child who would grow into a man. Sinless, spotless, whiter than a December snowflake. 

In February of 1997 I found that Spotless Lamb. I surrendered my life to Him. I accepted that He took all my sins. My snowflake was now white too. The next Christmas felt different. The decorations were still the same. The house looked festive and bright. My heart was not the same though. 

That Christmas instead of rushing out of bed to tear into presents I opened up the Bible. I read the Story. Not only did I read the story, I read it to my family. 

Reading Luke chapter 2 became my tradition. Every year before anyone rips the first piece of wrapping paper, the Bible gets opened. It helps to take away a bit of the commercialism and remind us all that we give gifts as a symbol of something more. 

A symbol of the greatest gift of all. The gift of a Perfect Lamb.

First and foremost I am a daughter of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Secondly, I am wife to Josh, a wonderful, Godly husband whom loves me far more than I ever dreamed possible. Next, I am mother to five adorable gifts from above, Micaela, Joshua and Bubba, Lydia, and Emily. We live in the sun-shiny state of Florida with a multitude of animals. I am a stay at home wife and mother. I fill my day with keeping our home and blogging. You can find me at Narrow Way Wife. 

What will YOU Give?

"Mom! Baby Jesus is COLD! He needs a blanket!"

I could have told her that the real Jesus was in heaven and doesn't need a blanket

This baby Jesus is just a reminder of what happened that day. 

But she wanted to give Jesus a gift. 

In HIS Grip, 
               

Starting New CHRISTmas Traditions

Traditions are fun, aren't they? Back when Greg and I were first married I couldn't wait to start a few traditions of our own. Of course once the kids started coming along it was even more fun to put together these annual events. These are the times the kids will remember when they grow up. These activities are special to our family; no one else does them quite like us! But as I was sitting here thinking about our Christmas traditions, I was alarmed that only ONE points us to Jesus. He's the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place!

I could probably write a small book detailing all our Christmas traditions. If you have ever read my blog around this special day, you are familiar with some of them since I have a post about each one. :)

We have the Christmas Monkey, which is a very similar idea to the Christmas Elf on a Shelf. Another tradition is our Christmas morning pancake picnic in the living room. I also buy a new ornament for each child to put on their tree. This ornament symbolizes something that was important to them that year. For instance, last year we moved to Iowa, so each child got an ornament with the Iowa Hawkeyes or Cyclones on it.

Every Christmas Eve, we have a new game to play. Hungry Hungry Hippos is one of our favorites from several years ago. This year will probably be the new Angry Birds Knock on Wood game. One year when I am rich, I plan on buying a Wii and some games to go along with it. Unfortunately, I am not rich this year . . . :-)

 

And then we have our advent calendar. It's interesting to me that the one tradition we have about Jesus only takes 5 seconds to do each day (not much of a gift to Jesus, is it?). It's just a cheap one that I bought from Oriental Trading way back when. Or maybe I didn't buy it, maybe it was given to us - I don't really remember. All I know is that it's not doing too well. All the numbers were peeling off, so last year I wrote them in with puffy paint. The red felt "hangers" aren't going to be holding the calendar up much longer so I will soon need to do something about that. BUT, the rest of it is fine and it serves as a great reminder of the reason for the season.

I'm glad for our advent calendar even in it's sad condition, but as the kids are getting older, I wonder if it is enough. Am I really conveying the message to my children that there is more to Christmas than presents and fun?

And so this year I am launching a brand new tradition! To make it even more exciting I am fitting it right into our school day so I know I will have a designated time slot each day to do it. Wanna know what it is? Read on!

I collect nativity scenes. I just got them out and counted them yesterday and found that I have 20. WOW! Usually I have them all set up by now, but this year I am a little bit behind. And actually that works to my advantage because it will fit nicely into my new tradition.

Each day, starting December 1st, we will take one scene out, look at it, and set it up as we read a story about Jesus. It's one thing to know Jesus was born, it's another thing to learn WHY he was born. The kids will LOVE the fact that I am letting them hold and set up the scenes. One of my scenes is so small, the kids will have to look closely to see the tiny details. One scene is so big that we will need quite a large area to hold it! One is made out of glass, one is wood. One is a Precious Moments, and so on. But as we are looking at them each day, the kids will be listening to me read about Jesus. And that final day, Dec. 24th, we will put the last scene up and read the Christmas story. I will probably do this in the evening so Greg can be a part of it as well. And actually this year, we will be gone on the 24th, so it will have to be done a few days early. But, you get the idea.

So really my new tradition will be a daily present to Jesus. We are going to be giving him the gift of our time and attention as we put the focus of Christmas back on Him this December. Happy birthday, Jesus!

Cheri is a mom of four beautiful children and married to her sweetheart, Greg. She is a SAHM and homeschools! She blogs about her life at Mommy's Adventures. 

Resources for Keeping Christ in CHRISTmas

Christmas. What a wonderful time of year to focus on our Savior!  It gets harder in this society to stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas.  This is a collection of resources that we use to make Christmas more meaningful.  I hope they will be helpful to your family.

Resources for Christmas:

The ADVENTure of Christmas: Finding Jesus in our Holiday Traditions

This book is packed with ideas of keeping Christ as the center of Christmas.  My boys enjoy the idea of each morning counting down to Christmas by getting a "Kiss". I wrap up 25 Hershey Kisses in a strip of cellophane and tie a ribbon between each one. They untie a ribbon each morning and get their "kiss" and then find me for a real kiss.

Advent Jesse Tree

Free Advent Jesse Tree Book- We started using this a few years ago to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Use a branch, small tree, or anything you can hang paper or real ornaments on. You will love this guide with printable ornaments from A Holy Experience. It is a wonderful addition to Christmas.

Free Advent Jesse Tree Book for younger children.  I just found this today and I love it.  It is a great resource!

Advent Wreath- We enjoy the tradition of the weekly devotional and gathering on Sunday evenings to light the candles. You can make your own or purchase an advent wreath. I just found the Cradle to the Cross at A Holy Experience. This one is used from Advent to Easter. Ann's son makes them and 100% of the cost is donated to Compassion. Our favorite book to use for devotionals is A Family Advent: Keeping the Savior in the Season. 

Advent Stories-. We started this series last year and love it!  These three Advent devotionals will take you and your family from Advent to Christmas with day-by-day readings and advice for making Christmas a meaningful season of worship. Read one book each Advent. Includes Jotham's Journey, Bartholomew's Passage, and Tabitha's Travels. (Recommended for older children).

What Jesus Wants For Christmas is an interactive nativity that uses seven presents and a storybook to focus on Jesus.

We enjoy reading through The Legends of...
...The Candy Cane
...The Christmas Stocking
...The Christmas Tree
...St. Nicholas: A Story of Giving

I wrap 25 Christmas books and the boys unwrap one each day.  They never tire of the same books year after year and we add more to our collection. 

I hope these resources will help you as you offer Birthday Gifts of Jesus this year!
What resources do you use to keep Christ in Christmas?

Blessings!

Mary

Mary writes at www.theencouraginghome.com about her crazy but wonderful life on the farm with her husband and two homeschooled sons. She blogs about God’s goodness, homemaking, homeschooling, healthy living the natural way and life on the farm.

A Humble Barn Birth

Christmas is a time when I personally re~focus. I re~prioritize and seek to gain a better grasp on the meaning of this short journey of life that I am on. 

Photo Source

It all leads me back to the Precious One who was born in a barn. It is the most humbling fact in the world. God was born in a barn, placed to sleep in a manger. It puts it all into a fresh perspective for me for the next three hundred and something days! He refreshes my outlook for my purpose in this world. To serve. I am a servant, because I was made in His image. 

My goal for my family and myself is to shrink the time between Christmas seasons so that I can glorify God with a giving, selfless, thoughtful spirit every single day that I am alive. There is nothing more important to me than that my children will grow to be women of purpose, seeking to store their treasures in heaven, not in this world. 

She opens her arms to the poor and extends her arms to the poor. ~ Proverbs 31:20 

The Proverbs 31 woman is a wonderful example of how we as Christian women should conduct ourselves. She is a hard worker! And yes, she has clothes made of fine linen and wonderful warm coverings for her family's bed in the winter, but she also has enough to give to the needy. If I am living my comfortable middle class life, but am not giving, then something is wrong. I must bring my lifestyle down a notch. The Bible is very clear on this. We are to be givers. Not just at Christmas, but every single day of our lives. 

So, I teach my children that giving is really more rewarding than receiving, and while we give gifts to family members and friends we focus on people who have no means to give gifts, not even to their own children. To celebrate the King's birth we will not be excessive in any of our purchases. Remembering our beautiful brothers and sister in third world countries, we will practice self~control and pray a whole lot! 

On Christmas Day we will bake a Birthday Cake for our Precious Jesus... Oriental Trading has these awesome bracelets that we'll be purchasing after this holiday season, and will wear them all Christmas seasons to come as a reminder for us and for everyone else that sees them on our wrists.

I pray everyone has a meaningful holiday celebrating the birth of Hope, Peace, Joy, the birth of True Love, the birth of Precious Jesus! 

About Tanya: I love and adore Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. I delight in my role as mother and wife; my precious family means the world to me. I appreciate people who are eager for God and enjoy exploring and growing. I have a heart for children and the poor. I seek to live for God.

Tanya blogs at The Humble Homemaker

Reminder to everyone! Christmas Eve begins a week-long link-up here at Stringer Mama for your own CHRISTmas festivities! Share what your family did for CHRISTmas! So make sure you take pictures and get ready to share! 

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Seeking the Messiah and Free Ebook!

When I was a young mother I was very ill for many, many years. Just getting out of bed and tending to the basic needs of my husband and children was overwhelming and exhausting. Merge the day to day life with all that needs to be done for Christmas...you know what I'm talking about: shopping for gifts, wrapping presents, preparing food, baking holiday treats, spending time with family and friends,etc., all great things but in doing them, it sent my body into shut down.

Year in and year out, as Christmas drew closer, my immune system would get lower and lower and eventually I would find myself sicker than a dog waiting anxiously to go back to bed the day I crossed the finish line; Christmas morning. My gentle and quiet spirit was no where to be found.

Not only did I feel like a failure as a wife and mother throughout the year but even more so during the Christmas season, which ultimately resulted in me loathing the Christmas holiday. Yet, as a Believer, I knew there was something wrong with my perspective!

Something needed to change. Seeing how I couldn't fix my body, I had no other choice but to live with my limitations which forced me to become very intentional about what we embraced as a family.

So I made the decision to be like Mary as she sat at Jesus' feet, rather than being distracted like Martha. The Lord said in the scriptures that Mary chose 'that good part' because she fixed her eyes on Him and learned from Him. I, too, wanted to fix my eyes on Christ and teach my children the same thing.

And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. "But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:39-42

I scaled things down and threw out all the fluff. Then I brought in Christ-centered activities that would strengthen our faith plus make wonderful traditions as well!

May we always seek the Messiah.

Last year I compiled all my Christ-centered activities in one place and put them in a short ebook to encourage other mothers to become like Mary, to choose 'the good part'; to seek the Messiah.

What you'll find within those pages are easy, simple and affordable activities for all ages.

It is my free gift to you and I hope you'll enjoy it!

Update: Since I wrote my ebook last year, I thought I would share with you a few things that have taken place in our lives. It's been a couple of years now since I battled those 10 long years of chronic illnesses and now I am MUCH healthier. All in the Lord's timing, not to mention, with His perfect purpose!

Also, early in 2010 my family had lost our home and then I wrote this ebook around Thanksgiving of that same year. During that time, my husband was struggling to pay our rent for the rental home we were living in. We informed our 2 boys, ages 9 and 11 at the time, that we had no money to buy them Christmas presents. They said they understood and I believe they had that heart because of all the emphasis that was put on Christ at Christmas rather than the presents under the tree. The Lord did one miracle after another during those months and He also blessed my boys with so many presents from others that my children said it was the best Christmas they ever had!

My children saw first hand Christ moving in the Body of Christ. Not only were they learning to seek Christ at Christmas, but they were beginning to see Him as well! You can read more about our story here at, How to Lose Your Dream Home Not Just Once, But Twice.

Friend, enjoy the book and continue to seek Him!

Click here to download your copy

a broken vessel for the LORD,
jolene engle

Jolene Engle was once a feminist who denied the existence of God, until the Lord transformed her life in 1996. For the 15 years that she has walked with her King, 10 of those years she battled chronic and debilitating illnesses at the onset of motherhood. For the past 4 years of her life, Jolene and her husband have faced financial ruin and they have lost their home not just once, but twice. Even though her tiara is broken and her gown is tattered, she still lives as a daughter of the King, where she strives to be a godly wife to her ‘Beloved Solomon,’ (husband-Eric) and mother to her two boys, Seth and Noah as she raises them to live out their lives for the King of Kings. As a broken vessel herself, she serves her Savior through her on-line writing ministry of The Alabaster Jar where she loves to encourage, equip, and inspire other women to learn how to pour out their lives at the feet of Jesus like the perfume from an Alabaster Jar.

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