Christmas Season Reflections :: Life Giving & Life-Draining List

Life-Giving

--> planning ahead what is most important to do during the Christmas season in October 

--> making moments to reflect upon Jesus' birth and what all was happening in history at the time

--> praying and allowing God's peace to simmer in my heart and soul

--> using Honey app on my desktop for comparison price shopping

--> having a list of gifts needed when Black Friday comes around

--> wrapping gifts as we receive them in the mail

--> Advent Tree preparation in November

--> placing Pop-Its and Fidget Toys for the boys & chocolates in the Advent Calendar Tree pockets

--> putting up lights in the living room and on the Christmas Tree (soft white is my favorite)

--> buying ready-made food for celebrations (Zoup, Panera Soup)

--> wearing Ugly Christmas sweaters and Christmas pajamas

--> having white elephant gifts on-hand in the house

--> CREATING

Life-Draining

--> overwhelmed buying for everyone even with relatives' money for the boys and keeping it all equal

--> commercialism and seeing Toy Ads everywhere

--> cooking food and making menus

--> preparing church ministry events in addition to Ian's Birthday party and other family planning events

--> clutter

--> having anxiety about Covid and flu in gatherings

--> trying to travel a lot to see family

--> feeling Christmas card pressure when no decent family photos are present

--> paying postage for stamps 

Christmas Day

A Thrill of Hope...
Waiting Expectantly...
Savoring the Present and the Presence of family...
Remembering years past with loved ones who have left us...
Recalling that moment when I found out Santa Claus was represented by many people...
Opening the gift that I wanted so badly...
Eating my dad's pancakes in the morning (they are like crepes and THE BEST)...
Waking my parents up before the crack of dawn because I was so excited...
Peeking at the presents early and then carefully placed the tape back on (only one year - I think)...
Sitting by the candlelight and Christmas lights pondering what that night's years ago meant to this world when a little baby was born in a stable (cave) with animals around and 'unseen' by the world...
Reading the Christmas story...
Singing carols in a circle with the Cassell family and being so obnoxious with everyone...
Hanging out every Christmas Eve with the Price family & doing our gift exchange... (until my grandmother passed my Junior year of high school)
Listening to the Christmas music (all genres) and humming along...
Unwrapping stocking stuffers has always been a favorite of mine (especially those from my mom) because it was the little things that made me laugh and brought me joy...yes chocolate...brought me joy...
Taking a Morning Run to clear my mind and warm up my body...(a favorite tradition now for me)

When you have your own family, you can set your own pace and your own traditions. This is both an opportunity and an expectation. I miss the magic of being young and although I catch glimpses of this with my boys now...it's different. I enjoy the hunt of looking for gifts for them, but I do not buy literally into the consumerism. I seek the traditions of having an Advent Calendar, opening little gifts and surprising them with pajamas dinners. The build-up to this day feels different. We use a stuffed blue Star "Starry" instead of an Elf on the Shelf to demonstrate the days leading up to Christmas and watch as he leads us to focus on where Jesus was born.

It is no longer filled with school events (because their school doesn't have a program) nor church events (because our church does not do a separate program with rehearsals). My boys have never desired to wait in line to meet a white bearded man in red robbing nor have they been brought up to believe in just one "real" Santa Claus. Rather, the story of St. Nicholas and his good deeds and his giving heart. They would rather give and surprise others. Now don't get me wrong, they LOVE receiving too. But it's different.

We rarely watch advertising commercials during this time because we use Netflix and Amazon Prime. It's different than growing up with Toy commercials bombarding the TV during every holiday movie. I remember finding out there were new toys each time I saw one and I wanted more. I even knew what Christmas was about growing up but it didn't stop my wanting. It's just different today, not better or worse, just different.

I do relish watching my boys play with their new gifts even if there are not many. I enjoy making them breakfast on this morning - whether pancakes or just blueberry muffins (from a box) as was the case this morning.

It's still meaningful and it still matters. That is today, not just another day, but it is our today.

  

2013 Christmas Message

This year's Christmas message is not one that I mailed out but is equally fun and interesting to look back on the year and reminisce. It was our first full year in Troy, Ohio and we have been here now since March of 2012.

It has been a wonderful and different adjustment for us as we have navigated through buying our 2nd home (moved in February of this year), growing through Elijah's first year of life, and continually re-establishing a family routine through each season.

Mark is active and balancing his ministry as the lead minister with Troy Christian Church and has quite a "unique" staff (for those of you who know them, you know I'm right). He continues to pray for wisdom and guidance as the church moves forward. I am continually amazed at how God works through Him and how Mark remains himself at home and in front of many people.

I (Kara) have been somewhat surprised at God's timing with this current season in my life and have been doing and experiencing full-time social work at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton since May of 2012. I have missed doing therapy but have found that with two little guys at home, medical social work fits much better with routine and with stability right now.

Mark and I both continue to run and try to keep a "base" of running so that we can just pick up and do races but have found running to be less exhilarating as it used be. Nonetheless, I was able to run a couple of half marathons this year (one with my friend Rachel which was so exciting and one where I didn't have expectations but ended up finishing very close to my PR!). Mark ran one in the Spring and is now refocusing to see what he really wants to do.

Ian is now five years old (as of yesterday) and he is full into playing with Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles, Marvel superheros and dinosaurs. He tries to rhyme everything it seems or make up words which at times...doesn't sound like a good word unfortunately. We love him just the same and continue to correct and discipline while he continues to develop quite a sense of humor.

Elijah is 15 months and is fully trying to speak all of our words. His most common words are "tank coo" = thank you, "uh oh" = uh oh, "baa" = ball; (sounds like a hiss) = kitty and of course momma and dadda. We haven't figured out what he calls Ian yet.

                       

On a deeper level, it's been a high and low year of rediscovering simple things and most important things. For me especially, purging of the things that I do not need (at least starting-including emotions, material things,) and redefining who I am as a daughter in Christ. I was blessed to go to a Leading and Loving It "Re:treat" in Nashville, TN this Fall. God's opening my heart's eyes to emotional things (hard to explain)-boldness, going "All-In" but it is kind of rocking my world, my worldview and how I do "life" and holidays. So if you ever see me singing a song and I just start bawling (no it's not hormones - I'm good there), I'm really ok - just releasing some emotions and letting myself connect more deeply with my Creator so no biggy.

Mark has several things that he is praying about as well (but I'll let him share those on his own social media site and in his own time).

We wish all a Merry Christmas and pray for real transformation. The kind of transformation that creates change and shakes the gates of hell. Boldness that includes abandonment of old ways of thinking that keep a person stuck. And a raw realness that comes with vulnerability. I pray this for anyone who might read this message. It's an adventure!!

Peace,

Kara

Early Preview: One of the Christmas Cards

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Christmas preparations :: Love the Lord with all your heart, all your mind, all your strength

2009

My first post beginning this blog back in 2009 was about us deciding not to partake in the American Christmas tradition of Santa Claus and we at the time were grasping, "what will this mean?" "Will we be making our children miss out on something great? Will they be traumatized or traumatize others? Will this be too hard to do in a society that worships this character Santa beginning in October?"

I've read a lot of articles, blogs and others' stories about this transition and as our eldest reaches this impressionable age, this year will be the time to beginning fully discussing who is Santa Claus....why do we focus on Jesus solely and not do anything with this Santa? This is especially when this fun concept is put right in front of his face at pre-K in school every day with decorations, stories, Elf on the Shelf and parties. A couple of years ago a kind, well-meaning friend just showed up at Ian's birthday party dressed up as Santa (since his bday is so close to Christmas) and we rolled with it the best we could but at 3, luckily he really didn't care and just wanted to play. The rest of the kids were enamored. It's a hard subject and it seems it's become a very personal one even to those who continue this tradition simply out of "this is how I was brought up and I'm fine now". 

But we've, especially, I've discovered that if our hearts are going to move towards God and His Kingdom and focusing on the worth of others because of His sacrifice then 1) I really shouldn't be wanting to spend $$ on my family or others just out of...well I budgeted all year and want to see their smiling faces...2) I don't need to fall into rationalizing "I'm still going to give charitably but am a giver--that's my personality", or even 3) this is what you do around November-December.

Now don't get me wrong - I LOVE Black Friday but primarily I love people-watching. Getting great deals for items I would have bought anyway - icing on the cake. More budget to give more. And I also realize the consumerism part of me will struggle with this.

The plan: have my boys write their lists based upon what Jen Hatmaker explained is how her kids' write lists: 
Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read. That's it. (This year we are adding something to give,

Here's the rest of her blog post: The Christmas Conundrum
Giving
The second stream we can choose to float down this Christmas is out from underneath the consumer umbrella altogether (mixed metaphors, anyone?), and it is simply sharing our resources with those who need intervention to break the cycles of poverty and despair. This year, we are giving each of our children $100 to spend on the vulnerable. This is part of their Christmas present, because as you and I know, it just feels so awesome to be a part of Jesus' redemptive story. We will give them some options, and they can distribute their money however they want. Here are some trusted, responsible organizations to partner with, donating in increments as low as $10:
www.IJM.org/GiftsofFreedom 
www.worldvision.org 
www.mercycorps.org 
www.miraclefoundation.org 

And this is me - I'm thinking maybe something local for Ian, so he might even be able to see what he's giving.

 2010 

 Crazy Amount of Gifts - for Immediate & Extended Families

2011

 

2012

 

Let's fill our homes with Jesus and find ways to worship Him with our little families every day this month. Let's join the Advent Conspiracy, daring to believe that Christmas can still change the world. May beautiful words fill our houses; lyrics like Come and behold him, born the the King of angels. As much as possible, let's mute the competing chatter trying so hard to invade our spaces; turning it down, turning it off. Celebrate Advent with your kids with diligence and anticipation. We ordered a fun version of the Advent Calendar, and each night the kids open a new envelope full of Scriptures and family activities. (Tonight we are reading about Jesus, the Light of the World, talking about what being a light in the darkness means, then playing flashlight tag. Yes, I'm sure someone will get hurt.)

December Daily: Week One

December 1:  today we hung out at home while daddy did an awesome wedding, went to celebrate a wonderful young lady's birthday (i.e. Kenna), Ian rode his bike with daddy, Eli cooed with mommy, received our gifts for others' in the mail! and hung out with Miss Kaylee Eakins :) nice low-key day (the tree was decorated a couple of days ago so nothing Christmasy today)

December 2: A rough Sunday with Tracy's passing, great support from friends & family and an awesome small group once again. What I wrote on facebook: Bittersweet day, as is every day...walked into church not knowing Tracy had passed but people were looking at me slightly different (didn't notice)...the realization hitting during worship...literally she gets to run to God! Had a great afternoon with my boys and my Love, then ran from our house on one end of town to our church on the other - 4.5 miles. LOVED IT! Praising God for her life all of the way. :) It's hard to be away and not realizing how things affect you. Let her life be a reminder to all of us that 1) life is short 2) love people, 3) be right with our heavenly Father 4) don't bicker about stupid things 5) be the most healthy person you can

December 3: Worked a long day and loved being with family.

December 4: Oh brotherly love, Grandma Price was here while daddy was away. We have a pretty good night!

December 5: We just hung out as a family and FINALLY got pictures of the 4 of us!! Even if Ian was pretty rambunctious!

December 6: The only picture I got was from a baby shower at work and man do they do awesome baby showers! We ate Chinese and just hung out. I love these gals!  Hayley is in the picture below. I LOVE HER! :)  That day though I did get a full-fledge migraine that kept me in bed when I got home from work until the morning and it still lingered!

December 7: No picture today - well here. Not flattering but a work week done: this was a wonderful, rough, good, emotional, exhausting, exhilarating week and I'm glad it's done... :)

Excerpt: Reasoning for not doing Santa Claus

Sometimes as Christians, we have to make decisions about how we will live our life differently because of the difference that Christ has made in our lives. And sometimes these decisions are not popular with other people.

It’s difficult to go against the flow.

We made one of those decisions recently. We are not including Santa Claus in any of our Christmas celebrations. It’s been difficult. And our child is only two and a half years old. How much harder will it be when she’s in school?

First, there are the random strangers who ask our daughter if she’s ready for Santa Claus. Then there are our 8 and 10 year old nieces who claim they still believe in Santa Claus. (We may not follow the crowd on Santa Claus, but I am not about to rain on any kid’s parade.) Then there is the rest of the family. Some are Christians and some are not, but they don’t understand why we wouldn’t want to include Santa Claus. After all, EVERYONE is doing it.

How do you deal with the criticisms, the looks, and the sometimes-harsh words regarding this kind of decision? As you would with any matter of faith.

Know what you believe. Know why you believe it.

We have prayerfully considered how the decision to not include Santa Claus will impact our family and our daughter as she grows. We have listed our reasons WHY we do not want to celebrate Santa. And we are ready to share with those who want to listen.

This decision was not made lightly. And it wasn’t made with the intention of rocking the boat. We are respectful that other people hold very dearly to the Santa Claus story and all that he represents.

I’m not sharing all of this to try to convince anyone else of what they should or shouldn’t do. I’m sharing because it’s hard to be different, and it’s comforting when we find others with similar beliefs and values.

Paul tells us in Romans 12 that we are not to “copy the behavior and customs of this world.” (v.2, NLT) That tells me that “just because everybody else is doing it” isn’t a good excuse. (And I have a feeling that I will be reciting that verse a lot as our daughter gets into her tween- and teen-age years.) Paul says it’s okay to be counter-cultural.

However, Paul also reminds us in Colossians 2:16ff that we are not to condemn other Christians who observe customs of the culture. Just because we do something that is counter-cultural doesn’t make us or our children spiritually superior.

Back to the original advice: Know what you believe and why you believe it. Be able to explain why you celebrate Christmas (or any other holiday or cultural custom) differently. Plan ahead. Talk to parents that have made the same decision who have older children and ask them what obstacles they have encountered.

And be prepared. Your children will question why your family does things differently. They may feel left out. Let them know that it’s okay to be different. Use age-appropriate words to explain why this decision is best for your family.

It may not be the easy road. But teaching your children to honor Jesus will be worth it.

Truth in the Tinsel & Alternatives to Elf-on-the-Shelf

I'm loving the journey of seeking alternatives for presenting Santa to Ian for Christmas. We decided long before Ian not to participate in the magic and story of Santa Claus and instead to focus solely on Christ's birth and the meaning of the holiday that is Christmas.  Although there may be some of the "magic" of the season that he might miss out on, we believe that the focus on Jesus will actually be just as magical and even more meaningful with various traditions and crafts. See next post.

Go here to see it all.

I know people love the Elf on the Shelf. It’s a magical little tradition that gets kids ready for Christmas and apparently, controls their behavior. (It does sound magical, doesn’t it?!) For those who don’t want to incorporate Santa and his elves into their daily December, here’s a few fun alternatives to a Christmas countdown activity.

1. Christmas Mouse

Source: minimocha.blogspot.com via ohAmanda {impress your kids} on Pinterest

This is the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen! The Christmas Mouse travels the world and takes a mini-vacation at your house during December. Every day he leaves treasures from his travels. {please click over to Mini Mocha and see all her gorgeous ideas!}

2. Christmas Angel

Source: yourchristmasangel.com via ohAmanda {impress your kids} on Pinterest

The Christmas Angel comes with a cute plush angel, a bag of gold  dust and a storybook. The story explains how the angel came to Mary and told her she was going to have baby Jesus. So, like the Elf on the Shelf, when your child wakes up every morning, they look for the angel who has written a message in the gold dust–”hug mom”, “make cookies”, “give a gift”. The idea is to give every day after reading the message from the angel.

3. Book Countdown

Source: vanderbiltwife.com via ohAmanda {impress your kids} on Pinterest

I’m a sucker for a Christmas book. The day after Christmas is my favorite day because Barnes and Noble puts all their Christmas books 50% off! So, grab 25 of your favorite Christmas books, wrap each one individually and every day of December unwrap one and read it together with your kids.

I love this because it gives your kids quality time, you are reading together and it makes for a surprise each day! My friend Jessie has a great list of 25 Jesus-centric Christmas books for this tradition!

4. What God Wants for Christmas

I got this at a Christian bookstore on an after-Christmas clearance a few years ago. It’s a kit that includes seven boxes which house nativity scene figures. Every night for a week, you pick a new box, read the story and open the box. The last night, you think would be baby Jesus, instead it’s a mirror! The gift God wants is YOU!

I love it because it’s only a 7 day countdown. You can fit 7 days into December for sure!

5. Mary & Joseph’s Trip to Bethlehem

I tried to find a link to this online, but just couldn’t find one. It’s such a simple idea that doesn’t require any crazy set-up or even a big purchase.

If you have a nativity scene, set it all up except for Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Just hide Jesus away and then place Mary and Joseph far far away in another part of the house.Each morning, place Mary and Joseph a little closer to Bethlehem…er, your manger scene. By Christmas Eve, they can set up in the stable and on Christmas Day, place Jesus in the center!

My kids would love to search for Mary and Joseph every day! I think I’m going to do this in December!

6. Advent Wreath

Source: adventtolenttoascensionwreath.blogspot.com via ohAmanda {impress your kids} on Pinterest

This is a meaningful, beautiful piece of art which doubles as a countdown activity. Each day, move the donkey and Mary figure closer to the center of the wreath adding Advent candles as you go. You can extend it (and use it again) during Lent as you get ready for Jesus’ death and resurrection on the cross. You have to click over to see all the gorgeous pictures of this wreath!

7. Light ‘Em Up

Source: lillightomine.com via ohAmanda {impress your kids} on Pinterest

You’ve heard of Random Acts of Kindness during the holidays, right? Well, Courtney at Lil Light of Mine gives over 50 fun ideas, printables and more to light up December with kindness!

8. Shepherd’s Pouches

Source: blog.jamesandjuliepaquette.com via ohAmanda {impress your kids} on Pinterest

I super love this idea. Instead of stockings, hang up small, unadorned pouches. During December, when your children help someone, do chores, are kind, etc. place money in the pouches. On Christmas Eve, take the money from the pouches and use it to buy a gift from Compassion’s gift catalog or give it to someone in need.

This is cool because it gives the same feel as the elf watching your behavior, but with better motivation. Head over to Julie’s blog to read all her wording and ideas on how to implement this with your kids!

9. TRUTH IN THE TINSELYou knew I was gonna say that, right? It’s a wonderful and simple idea: read the Christmas story from the Bible, make an ornament to go along with the passage and talk about it with your kids. It includes printables, the words to say and simple tutorials. It doesn’t get much better than that! Get your own copy now! 

10. What’s your favorite fun Christmas countdown, activity or tradition for getting kids ready for Christmas?

Amanda is the author of Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands. She is a mom of two, former Children’s Pastor, Disney-fan, kids’ book lover and collects too many Christmas ornaments. She blogs at ohAmanda.com on a semi-regular basis. 

Moments: Price Fun

Ian's giraffe meets his cousin John's giraffe. This was quite the celebration.

Moments: Grandparents

Ian "helps" grandma and grandpa make breakfast.

Crop for Kicks & Christmas Card Punch Collage Project

This year instead of me signing up for Crop for the Cure in Evansville (although for a good cause), I decided to stay home and save money. Candy, my very fabulous friend decided to go along in my adventure. Candy received "door prizes" about every hour...hence her facebook statuses of "I Won Again!" Here are some pictures...

this is Ian "helping" me out at the CVS to print photos instantly before our Crop

this shows my crafting area (and yes I have gotten rid of a lot but as I told my premarital couples in our class this past Saturday...I spent & bargain-hunted...a lot throughout our first 5 years of marriage for crafty stuff)

this is the album cover for the "Christmas Card Punch Collage Project"

title page quotes Ali Edwards from this post and I add, "From present years until 2007 I had kept cards but apparently through our move from Louisville, KY to Jasper, IN I did not keep Christmas cards from years before. Beginning in 2004 we wrote Christmas newsletters and have placed them in those years. This is definitely a work-in-progress."

PAGES
2010 1 *note I misplaced the newsletters I received :S

2010 2

2009 1

2009 2

2008 - this page has an interesting story, I couldn't find many cards at all and figured out that in Christmas 2008 Ian was born -- hence I'm not sure where I put the many cards and newsletters I received throughout that season

2007 - the big white squares with the signatures were from my basketball girls

2006 - couldn't find cards so this begins our newsletters

2005

2004 - note the cards on the write - they were the last Christmas cards we received from Mark's Grandpa Bruce, his writing is precious to us