Have you already made your holiday to-do list? Chances are you’re halfway through your Christmas-shopping, Thanksgiving-prepping, and Christmas-letter-writing. Or perhaps you’re going the simple route by buying 20 gift cards, a Marie Callender turkey dinner, and writing an email-note to your loved ones to let them know you’re still alive. That’s great. Whatever you’ve decided to do, do it for His glory and savor His grace.
But while I don’t like the fact that we tend to stuff everything into one month (visiting everyone we know, writing them all letters, buying them all gifts, and decorating our house perfectly), I do love the fact that Christmas urges me to do the things I really do want to do more of year-round. It’s almost like an annual accountability-check. Have I kept in touch with people I love? Have I written to them lately? Have I given a gift to my husband? Written a note to my neighbor?Perhaps we try to stuff too much in, but I must say I love what the “stuff” is and will continue to enjoy it in healthy measure.
To be fair, it is a season to celebrate. And let’s be honest: Celebration takes some effort. We could just lie around and rest all through December, but this is the birth of Christ! It’s worth a celebration!
So instead of just lamenting the busyness, let’s just be sure our activities are drawing us closer to Christ. Amen?
So this next week Advent begins, the preparation of our hearts for the birth of Christ. What will you do? How will you capture this season in a way that draws the heart of your family closer to the Savior? We’re still deciding what all we will and will not do this year, but might I suggest one fabulous resource?
Ann Voskamp’s Jesse Tree Devotional.
What I love about it: It’s daily, gospel-centered, inspirational, simple, creative.
And it’s done for me. I’m sold.
What will you do this Christmas to celebrate His birth with your family? I’d love to hear your ideas, so please take a moment to share what’s worked and blessed you in the past. We’ll look at another idea tomorrow, before we celebrate Thanks-giving on Thursday.
{Thanks for journeying with me, and thanks for reading.}
PS Be sure to stop in here this Friday for fabulous Black Friday deals! 🙂