I love Christmas.
There’s just something about the red decorations, houses decked out in icicle lights, and candlelight church services that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside even though it’s bitter cold outside.
A half-inch coating of snow on Christmas morning (that magically disappears by Christmas night and doesn’t show up again for the rest of the winter) is nice and festive.
Snuggling under a blanket and sipping peppermint hot chocolate while watching Claymation Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas is one of my all-time favorite winter activities.
And who doesn’t like renditions of “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” and “Baby It’s Cold Outside”?
All these things and, of course, celebrating our Savior’s birth by acting out the Christmas story, worshiping with Christmas hymns, and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and eating a homemade birthday cake are just some of my favorite activities.
But there’s a Grinch inside of me that despises what this season has become...
... the materialism and selfishness that often accompanies the “wish-list mentality.”
... the gluttony in which we engage, while much of the world is starving.
... the way so many people feel obligated to spend money on people they see once a year and almost resent the person for “requiring” a gift (that they never asked for).
... how so many people go into debt to buy things they don’t need with money they don’t have to impress people they don’t like.
... that people have to be reminded to stop the hustle and bustle and just be still and enjoy the blessed time with family and loved ones.
... that the self-inflicted “must do’s” of the season cause anxiety and a desire for the season to be over.
... that the fat guy in the red suit gets more attention than the baby in the manger.
I suppose I have a love-hate relationship with Christmas - not because of our Savior’s birth, but because we humans have cheapened Christmas to make it all about sweets, Santa, and selfishness. Which is why I decided to make it different for my family. When Dan and I got married four and a half years ago, we decided to simplify Christmas, and every year Christmas just gets better and better... and simpler and simpler.
Following are some ideas that we have learned - some we have done, some we have not yet implemented - for ways to simplify the holiday and make CHRISTmas more Christ-centered and others-centered, and less stressful.
Read (or act out) the Christmas story in Luke chapter 2.
Doing this before opening gifts really helps to put Christ FIRST and remind us of the true meaning of the season. Find some costumes and dress up each member of the family for a different part. Look for other Christ-centered Christmas books. My favorite is “The Crippled Lamb” by Max Lucado.
Have a birthday party for Jesus.
Celebrate Jesus’ birthday just like you do for the other members of your family. Have cake and ice cream, put up decorations and balloons, sing the Happy Birthday song, give him gifts, and play games. Give only three gifts to each person.
This is a great way to limit the materialism the runs rampant this time of year and encourage giving. It also mimics the Biblical account of the wise men who gave Jesus three gifts (Matthew 2:11).Make homemade gifts.
Everyone has some kind of talent; use whatever gifts God has given you to bless others. Are you a handyman? Give your family members a needed service call for Christmas. Do you bake? Make mini loaves of sweet bread, wrap in festive cellophane, and give as gifts. Sew a blanket. Knit scarves. Burn a CD of yourself singing, playing an instrument, or reading a children’s book. Build a small table. Paint a 5x7 canvas. Take pictures for family members. Write someone a nice card. Create a scrapbook page. Offer your cleaning services. Edit a paper for a college student. Whatever you do, do it for others as a gift! Give homemade coupon books.
Use scrap paper or index cards to write out coupons for services for your family and friends. It could be anything from “I’ll make the dinner of your choice” to “30-minute massage” to “bouquet of flowers” to “pick out a new purse.” Tailor the coupons to fit things that the recipient would really enjoy. This gift keeps giving all year long! Adopt a family.
Ask churches and schools if they know of a family in need. “Adopt” the family by buying presents for them, visiting with them, and sharing the true meaning of Christmas. If you can’t find a family to adopt, donate several items into the Toys for Tots bins at stores. Support "Operation: Christmas Child."
The Samaritan’s Purse ministry gives you the opportunity to send a shoebox of gifts to a needy child in another country. Go to your local dollar store, pick out the items, and send it off to the organization, who will be sure it reaches the hand of a grateful child. Click here for more information. Sponsor a Child.
This Christmas we visited World Vision’s website and adopted a little girl in Peru who is exactly a year older than our daughter Mara. We look forward to supporting her monetarily through the years and watching her grow. When she gets bigger, she will also send us letters and pictures periodically. The money we send every month helps her to have access to education, medical care, and a church that will provide spiritual training. Find out more about sponsoring a child through World Vision or Compassion. Buy a Goat.
When we were searching for a child to sponsor, we saw that World Vision also has many different things you can buy to help families in other countries (and here in the United States). Buy a goat, which will give a family milk and some income from the milk. Help pay for a deep well to give a family fresh drinking water. Purchase an insect net to help protect families from malaria-ridden mosquitos. Two chickens will give families fresh eggs to eat and income from the eggs. Seeds will allow families to plant crops to eat and sell. There are so many opportunities to help; I wanted to get all of them! Allow each person in the family pick out one area in which they would like to help. Print pictures of the item you are buying and hanging it on the tree as an ornament and a reminder of how you are giving to Jesus on his birthday.
Give KIVA loans.
This organization gives loans to people in other countries who are in need to start a business, etc, but can’t afford the high interest in their own countries. You can browse through pictures of people and their explanations of what they will do with the loan money, and donate as little as $25 toward the person or group of your choice. When the person pays back their loan, you get your $25 back to reinvest in another person or put back in your pocket. Visit kiva.org to get involved! Clean out your house.
We all have old toys, clothes, household items, and tools sitting around that we don’t need anymore. Why not donate them to someone in need, or to an agency such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army that helps people in need? You will feel better with less clutter, and someone will benefit from the items you gave away. Work at a Soup Kitchen.
This Christmas season, volunteer to work at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter in your area. Talk with the people there and share about the true meaning of Christmas. Remember how blessed you are to have a home and three meals a day and thank God for this gift. If you cannot work at one, could you donate some food to help needy families? Buy a new family game.
We started a tradition when we got married of buying a game for Christmas that the whole family will enjoy. We believe that nurturing our family relationships honors God, and playing games is just one of many ways you can do that. Also, playing games with other families can help build relationships together! Send Christmas scripture-picture postcards.
People love to send (and receive) fancy cards with pictures for Christmas. You can do it all yourself for less! Take a recent family photograph, add an appropriate scripture and Christmas greeting to it with an online photo editing program, and print 4x6 photos from Wal-Mart's one-hour photo. You can write on the back with a thin Sharpie and mail them as postcards! We found it's a very fun, personal, and cost-effective way to send photo Christmas cards. I hope this list provides some ideas for how you can make Christmas special and simple for your family, and keep the focus of CHRISTmas! If you have any more ideas, please add them to the comments section so other people can benefit from your ideas!
Merry CHRISTmas!
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