how we do Christmas
Several friends have asked me lately how we do Christmas and juggle the balance of Jesus & Santa...so I thought I'd share it.
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First of all, more than doing the regular Santa-thing, we incorporate St. Nick. We have found 2 beautiful and fantastic books that explain who the real Saint Nicholas was & our kids absolutely love them both and ask them to be read often.
{The Legend of St. Nicholas: A Story of Christmas Giving}
We've been working really hard to help our children understand that Christmas is more than about presents.
It's important for them to not get caught up in all the excess of the season and know...truly know...what the real reason of this holiday actually is.
{and enjoy that reason!}
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with Santa Claus, I'm just saying that we need to be careful that the man in the red suit doesn't overshadow the baby in the manger.
And yes, we still do Elf on the Shelf, though it's more about finding what crazy thing he's doing or silly spot he's hiding than about being Santa's little messenger.
{he toilet papered the tree last week. that got a big laugh}
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At the very center of our fireplace, hangs a stocking for Jesus.
On Christmas Eve, our family grabs several tags and writes {or draws pictures of} things that we're thankful to Jesus for and prayers that He's answered.
Christmas day, we all take turns drawing the tags back out of the stocking one-by-one, reading them, and sharing why we wrote what we did.
We love that this fosters not only a spirit of Thankfulness, but also helps remind us how good God is as we look back and see what He has done for us throughout the year.
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For the past several years we have incorporated the 4 gift rule:
. something to wear .
. something you want .
. something you need .
. something to read .
This practice has REALLY helped Ben & I become intentional about what we give the kids for gifts. We brainstorm together for each child & each topic. It not only has helped our pocketbooks, but it has helped us get to know our Crazies better because it's forced us to observe what they really enjoy & are in need of.
And, once again...they still get fun gifts...there just isn't all the excess.
{a big thanks to Emily over at Jones Design Company for the free printables. nice timing!}
{Need more fun gift tag ideas? Click here}
/// UPDATE! ///
This year we've revised the four gift rule. Rather than "Something you Need" what about "Something you DO!" Make a memory together instead!!! {FREE printable gift tags} click here.
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After the stockings have been emptied on Christmas morning, it has also become a tradition to go through World Vision's Christmas Catalog.
{World Vision Gift Catalog | How it works | video}
We tend to use the copy that comes in the mail, but I'm excited to see you can also do this online.
The plus of doing it this way is you have the opportunity to watch a personal testimony of a person or family all the way across the other side of the world, who has been greatly impacted by these gifts!
Since bringing Ezekiel home, the kids have consistently chosen goats {we also do this for birthdays} because E tells us his family had a goat and it was so very important to their livelihood.
{World Vision | goats are my answer to prayer |video}
Even as young as our kids are, they REALLY get into it. They pour over every page and excitedly debate and imagine how it will impact those people's lives.
Whoever conceived of that catalog idea is a genius.
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Depending on what the days hold, either after dinner on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, we have a birthday party for Jesus.
I remember my cousins doing it when we were young and always thought it was such a fun idea!
In addition to singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and eating red velvet cake {with crushed candy canes on top and in the filling}, we also read the Christmas story in Luke 2.
Since having little ones, we’ve been reading it in The Message or in the Jesus Storybook Bible because it’s easier for the kids to understand.
After the party, the kids get to open one gift, which holds their Christmas pj’s and something fun to do that evening.
Sometimes it’s a book to read as a family, other times it’s a movie or board game.
{this is also when we tend to do the Jesus stocking}
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Thanks for being curious how we spend our Christmas Holiday...I would love to hear some of your ideas & traditions, too!
Happy Birthday Jesus!
