Hospitality, Friendship, Encouragement

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Planning For Christmas



 First Snow 2012


Do you plan for Christmas?

I do.  Oh, I've never sat down, until now, to write out what I wanted Christmas to look like for myself and my family, but I have long been intentional with Christmas.

My friend Brenda wrote about this here.   Yesterday Vee wrote about this, too.

Being intentional with Christmas helps me to fulfill my main goal for this season with my family; Keeping Christ in Christmas.



First of all, we love everything about this season, but especially for us the Reason for the Season.  The coming of our Lord Jesus.  He may not have been born in December, but this is when we celebrate His coming.  We do this in many ways.  We have the names of Jesus on our tree - Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Second, we have a Nativity that we set up in a prominent place.  Third, we do some kind of advent calender.  We have seen over the years that our children end up memorizing the Story of His Coming, using scripture.
Also we don't focus on Santa, but we teach them about Saint Nicholas.

One thing I work very hard at this time of year is to keep my heart quiet even though my life is very busy.  I work at maintaining Joy, and embracing the season.


Things I will do this Christmas:

1. Decorate our home to be warm, cozy and welcoming. The tree is up, the decorations are in place, my garlands are hanging on my picket fence and around our kitchen door.  


2. Spend time reading good books.  I have started a new read aloud with my kids.  We are reading "Shepherds Abiding" by Jan Karon.  I love this book and enjoy re-reading it at Christmas time, and I knew my children would enjoy it too.

3. Help my Mom decorate at her home.  She wants to have it very simple this year, and so I'll head over to her place with my little helpers and make it festive at her house!

4. I believe it is a season for celebration!  So we make treats, invite people over to share in the season with us, eat good food. 

5. We enjoy good music, too, and the girls are learning to play together very nicely.  It's more enjoyable to listen and watch them play together, than to watch t.v.!

6. Make cookies for the neighbors.

7. Invite a dear couple from church over for dinner.  The holidays are hard for the wife especially, and she and Sarah have become good friends.


8. I am going to the midnight showing of The Hobbit with my 3 oldest girls and other friends from church, on December 14th!

9. Go driving to see the Christmas lights!  A business about 20 minutes from us always does a huge free display.  We go several times during the season.  I can't wait to take Kamryn.

10. I am organizing the Ladies Tea at our church, which is December 4th, and I'm organizing a Christmas Dinner for our church which will happen December 23rd after church.  It's so much fun to plan these special events!

11. On Christmas Eve we will celebrate my sweethearts birthday!  He is the best present that his Momma ever got, so she says, and I agree!  I am so thankful for him.

12. We always watch The Nativity Story on Christmas Eve.  It is our tradition.       

13. I am committed to buying meaningful gifts over the expense of a gift. I'm sure jewelry will be included as well! ;)

Have you ever planned what you want your Christmas to be like?  By doing this you can help yourself have the kind of Christmas you long for.

"Come thou, Long expected Jesus..." 
 
    

7 comments:

  1. Everything looks so beautiful...the tree, the Nativity...the lights and colors. Oh...must get the drive to see the lights on my list. We completely failed to do that last year because it was too painful without our ladies to do it with. This year, I can carry on I do believe.

    Many joys to you and your family this wonderful season of the year.

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  2. in years past more planning was put into this season. we've decided to be more intentional this year though.. inviting some folks over on a few evenings .. for dinner or dessert or both. lighting up the fireplace more, taking more evening walks, etc.

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  3. No I've never planned in that way. There are certain things we do each year which we all look forward to. But to be frank, my husband is in retail and it's a crazy busy stressful time of year for him. So I just work on making home a relaxing sanctuary for him.

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  4. I love this idea of making a list of Christmas priorities. I have been thinking of mine since I read Vee's, and then Brenda's, and now your post... Keeping our focus is so important.

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  5. Love this idea! Great list too. One new thing on my list this year is to make a birthday cake for Jesus with cayden.

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  6. I put up our tree yesterday. It usually goes up the day after Thanksgiving but instead I displayed my snowman collection first. Those boxes were easier to get off the shelves!

    Today I'm making the lists of DVDs to watch and Christmas books to re-read. The basket with Christmas music and the Pandora Christmas channels have been going already. ;)

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  7. Yes...I love planning! You know me.
    Your tree looks so beautiful. I want to come to the ladies tea and go watch the Hobbit with you too! A bit too far though.

    Hugs...

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