In our home we have been counting down the days until Christmas , preparing to celebrate with all of our kids home with us. With three kids out of the house now and a new journey of serving in Mexico as Missionaries this will be our first Christmas together on the Mission field in a foreign country. Some days I miss the life in the United States, miss our home, miss our friends and right now I even miss my zillions of Christmas decorations, but we as a family are ready to begin new traditions this year as we continue our journey as Missionaries to a country we fall more and more in love with every day “Mexico”. This year I have been searching for new traditions that focus on a Christ-Centered Christmas. My friend Julie from Happy Home Fairy put together a great article on this topic with 12 fun ideas and knowing you 24/7 MOMS love new ideas I wanted to share her article with you as you also may be on the hunt for new traditions this Christmas.
12 Ways to Have a Christ-Centered Christmas
I have been looking on Pinterest for Christmas ideas.
This can be a very good and productive endeavor.
Or it can make me want to hide under my bed until December 26th.
There’s the Elf on the Shelf and the daily antics, there’s the beautiful decorations, there’s the gorgeous outdoor light displays, there’s the delicious recipes, there’s the crafty, homemade gift ideas…
It’s all so amazing to me and makes me want to be a better person, but at the end of the day I mostly just pin stuff and think about it for awhile and then decide that throwing some Christmas lights over the mountain of laundry piled on the dining room table is festive enough.
Our elf hasn’t even come to visit yet because I am paralyzed by the thought of being committed to moving him creatively every. single. night (even though I have a post HERE featuring 24 super easy and fun ideas).
But when you think about it, what do you remember most about Christmas when you were little?
It probably wasn’t the 15,000 Christmas cards your mom wrote or the glamorously wrapped presents under the tree or the Pinterest-perfect crafts or the massive Christmas party with 200 homemade appetizers.
It was the smaller things.
The simple things.
I remember cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning (and they were from the can).
I remember opening my stocking.
I remember that Santa ate all the cookies we had left out for him.
I remember jumping on my parents’ bed at 6 in the morning and then that year my older brother did bugle calls on his trumpet at 5 (you’re welcome, Mom and Dad).
I remember my dad praying before we opened our gifts.
I remember the way the church glowed at the candlelit service on Christmas Eve as we sang Silent Night and raised our candles in reverent worship.
The simple things.
This year I’m trying to let go of all the ‘Pinterest Pressure’ and have decided to narrow my focus for Christmas and our family to 2 things –
1. Do things that celebrate Jesus.
2. Do things that share His love.
Our Elf on the Shelf might not make it out this year if I’m not feeling it. We might not make it to every single party. I might not make homemade ornaments for the family. The adorable Christmas party favors I want to make for all the kids in my boys’ classes will probably never happen. Happy Buddy might not get the chocolate advent calendar because I can’t find them anywhere – lol.
And that’s ok.
But here are 12 simple things that fall under the umbrella of my focus for this magical season that our little family is hoping to do in the coming days…