Hi Moms! Are you enjoying the holiday season? I hope you are! My prayer for you is that you can slow down a little this year, and truly enjoy your family and get to the heart of what Christmas is all about!
This past week at my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting, we had a guest speaker come and talk about how her family of 7 makes the most of the holiday season each year. I want to share with you some of her ideas, in the hope that it will inspire you to make similar decisions in your own family!
This mother of 5 shared with us that they never had money around Christmas time, so they tried to find cheap or free activities that they could do each night in December to spend more time together and discover the true meaning of Christmas as a family. She encouraged all of us to (literally) "wrap up our T.V." for the whole month of December and make our own advent calendars. Each year, her family gets out the wrapping paper and covers over the T.V! Instead of watching the tube in December, they spend each night doing something fun & free (or cheap) as a family.
I encourage each of you to consider doing the same this year. Wrap up your television (or at least extremely limit time spent in front of the t.v.) and make a simple plan for each night in December. Here are some of the ideas that were shared: make a gingerbread house (we made ours with graham crackers and peanut butter!), go out for a lights tour with hot cocoa and popcorn in the car, camp out under the Christmas tree, dig up all of the lose change in your house and take it to various salvation army buckets around town, make a list of all the things you are thankful for, make and decorate homeade cards and goodies to give away!
Let this year be about giving instead of getting!!
Here's what its all about:
"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" Luke 2: 10-11
My friend Shara, of www.mommyperks.com has written a great article called "A non materialistic entrepreneur's Christmas?" about the balance between giving and receiving gifts...with the focus on what's most important in life! I hope you will take a minute to read it!
Blessings to each of you this Christmas season!
Love,
MariLee
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Great article, MariLee. Thank you for mentioning my article, also. Every year we do the "go see lights and take popcorn and snacks with us" thing. Love it!! As you mention, we also play games, make a gingerbread house (good idea for graham crackers & peanut butter!). We bake, sing songs, decorate and talk about the meaning of Christmas and WHY we celebrate in the first place. Even though Christ was more likely born in September, according to best historical guesstimates (I digress...). Anyway, thanks again for your reminders and for your heart to serve others and the Lord. Love ya! Oh - you may also like this site: http://www.tvturnoff.org/. Thanks, as always!
ReplyDeleteThanks, MariLee!! We also do a gingerbread house each year and the kids love it. Something else we've done is make cookies and take them to a nursing home and minister to those who may not have family that comes and visits them - teaching our kids through our intentional actions ... how else will they know!!
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