One Down, One to Go!

Thanksgiving is over. Well...at least the official holiday is over. I hope that the act of thanksgiving is not over. Our family had a terrific thanksgiving. We went to my brother's house (which meant less clean-up for me) and there were 18 people altogether. That is my idea of a thanksgiving meal!

Now we are getting ready for Christmas. I was so proud of myself yesterday. I actually got motivated enough to go up into the attic and bring down the tree and other decorations. Last night our family decorated the tree together. We had a great time! We sang Christmas carols, and my three children put all the decorations on the bottom half of the tree! We won't win any prizes for the best looking tree, but it was fun for us.

So with just a few more weeks till Christmas I think we will make it just fine. Like many people, our budget is much smaller for presents this year. I think this has made us more thoughtful in our purchases. I challenged myself this year to do all of my shopping online. I believe I have made some very good buys, and so far I have paid nothing in shipping, and found many things less expensive than they were in the stores! My wife is going the traditional route of mingling with the masses.

It gets harder every year to keep Christ the center of Christmas. If we were not a Christian family, I imagine our children would not even know the meaning of Christmas! Secularism is everywhere. I encourage Christian parents not to give up. Teach your kids what Christmas is really all about. Teach them why we give gifts. Tell them whose birthday we are really celebrating.

I know there are some fine Christians who do not celebrate Christmas. I respect their view. I, however, do celebrate it and enjoy it. Over the next few weeks, don't get caught up in the rushing and shoving. Don't get stressed out if this year the stack of gifts are a little smaller under the tree. Remember that God's "unspeakable" gift is as big as ever and is available all year long! That is a gift worth getting excited about!

So enjoy the Christmas season. Sing the songs. decorate your tree. It's Christmas!