Christmas is coming and a super long to-do list immediately comes to your mind. Worry follows and soon you are complaining about the holly-jolliest time of year. Yikes!
Wait! I know you don’t want to be a scrooge. What can chase Christmas stress away?
Gratefulness.
So, let’s turn our focus to all the things to be grateful for Christmas. This list fills my heart with gratitude and makes me put on my dancing shoes!
Christmas Celebrates the Miraculous Birth of Our Savior
The celebration of Christmas is all about Jesus – the God/Man born of a virgin, heralded by a star, and worshipping by ordinary shepherds and wise magi from the East. All miraculous! Of course, we must celebrate with joy!
God’s Operation Rescue Begins at Christmas
The Lord dropped clues throughout the Old Testament Time, but Christmas marks the beginning of His Plan set in motion to set mankind free from sin and usher them out of the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light.
Christmas reveals the incredible, amazing love of God who first loved us so much that He gave His only Begotten Son. Our Salvation was procured at the cross and through the resurrection. Yet, Christmas begins the perfect life He lived that makes Him the prophesied unblemished lamb that could take away the sins of the world.
Christmas Allows Us the Opportunity to Give
Christmas provides so many opportunities to give our money and time. There are special Christmas offerings at church, charities that provide food for the poor and homeless, and presents to buy for our loved ones. We also give our time to volunteering in the church, reaching out to the community, and watching our children and grandchildren in all those special holiday performances.
Christmas Allows Us the Opportunity to Serve
We have so many opportunities to be like Jesus at Christmas. He did not come to be served, but to serve. We can serve our family by making special foods and providing simple traditions they will remember long after we are in Heaven. We can serve our elderly parents with a visit, phone call, or thoughtful gift. We can serve our friends with a big smile and reminders of Who we are celebrating this season.
One thing that my children enjoyed was making placecards for our guests at holiday meals. It allows them to share their artistic talent to welcome friends and family. If you don’t want to download your own, be sure to grab a copy of my Days of Thanks freebie, “Christmas Placecards & Scriptures” with 12 different designs of both placecards and Scripture cards.
So, as you prepare to host the holiday dinner or show hospitality to extended family, remember that it is a privilege to serve and being grateful.
Christmas Brings Many Families Together
Christmas is a time that many families come together to celebrate. Sometimes relationships are mended, and other times fires are fueled. This keeps us on our toes and forces us to pray! Isn’t that true? I think that’s a reason to be grateful for Christmas!
I love that holiday get togethers are filled with memories of the older generation. I wish I had jotted down all the stories of my grandparents and great aunts and uncles when I was a little girl. Teach your children to ask the older folks what it was like when they were children. They will love the stories!
Christmas Offers Challenges to Obey Those the Bible
There are some challenging verses for me in Scripture and the holidays provide opportunities for me to put God’s Word into practice.
Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear
Matthew 6:25
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
Philipppians 4:6-7
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven
Matthew 5:14-16
But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content
I Timothy 6:6-7
- I can be content with my Christmas budget.
- I can pray for all my Christmas worries and concerns.
- I can choose to be a shining light for Him even with my scoffing relatives.
I’m grateful for the challenges I face at Christmas.
Christmas is a Break from the Routine
Sometimes the routine gets boring, especially when the weather gets colder. Then along comes Christmas! It’s time to string lights, bake cookies, and sing Christmas carols. I love it! Everywhere you look, festive decorations seek your attention. Cinnamon and pine waft through the air. Childhood memories come flooding back.
I like to keep Christmas lavish and simple at the same time. I focus on what I’m good at – decorating everything in sight, offering hospitality, and caroling. I don’t bake everything from scratch or try to imitate a magazine cover in my decorations. I just have fun with my family and remember Jesus.
We take time in December to stretch Christmas out as long as possible. We put normal homeschooling on hiatus and do a Christmas unit study. Wow! These unit studies have created lasting memories of learning and celebrating as one.
We’ve made Anne of Green Gables hat & braid ornaments, set our Christmas table colonial style, made cookie mixes in a jar to give as gifts, eaten a traditional Victorian dinner complete with goose, and decorated gingerbread houses while we learned about Prince Edward Island, colonial times, cookie chemistry, England, and Germany. As we learn about Christmas in other times and places, it adds depth to our celebration choices each year.
Christmas is a Time to Make Memories
I am proactive in creating memories not working myself to death. Simple things like driving around to look at lights and caroling as a family in our neighborhood or nearby retirement home mean so much more than expensive, exhausting endeavors.
One thing we do is pack up a picnic lunch and “travel” to a nearby park or the beach to remember that Mary was traveling the night before Jesus was born. That could not be easy. We eat, enjoy a simple devotion time, and toss a frisbee around or play soccer. Simple, but the memories make me grateful for Christmas.
Making memories is more about being together celebrating Jesus peacefully than being extravagant. At Christmas, I’m grateful for Jesus, family, friends, meaningful celebrations, and the opportunity to give and serve.
It’s time to turn our eyes back to the reason for the season: Jesus! To remember that Christmas is all about Him, His lavish love for us, and our devotion to Him.
Merry Christmas! I’m grateful for you and want to share this gift with you:
To help you out, I’ve created a simple 30 Day Gratitude Challenge Printable. Each person in your family should have their own printable. At dinner time or bedtime, let your kids write what they are thankful for that day. There is enough space on the printable to let your kids write what they are thankful for that day.
Younger kids can use the printable with prompts for each day. Even preschoolers can take on the challenge with the thank you prompts on the printable. Actually, I’m sending a copy to my daughter who has a 3-year old. The prompts are a simple way to stay focused on thankfulness all of November.
For, older kids and parents, I suggest writing at least 3 things you are thankful for each day. Once you sign up, you’ll receive an email with specific ideas for older kids.
Be sure to check back here (or sign up for our email updatesat the top of this post) throughout November for lots of great ideas to help you teach gratitude to your kids. For now, take the 30 Day Gratitude Challenge and get your free printables below.
Until next time, Happy Homeschooling!
Warmly,
Meredith Curtis
Meredith Curtis, homeschooling mom of five amazing children and Grand-Merey to five angels, leads worship, writes, speaks, and loves to encourage families in their homeschooling adventure. With gratefulness to the Lord, she is a curriculum creator and loves teaching online at True North Homeschool Academy.
Visit Meredith at PowerlineProd.com and check out her Christmas Unit Studies.
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