Every year I PROMISE myself that I’m going to make the most of Christmas. I’m going to start preparations WAY ahead of time, so that I never once feel rushed–the whole month of December. I’m going to spend quality time with my daughters, instilling in them the hope and true meaning of Christmas. I’m ONLY going to purchase gifts that are meaningful and fraught with eternal value (not to mention economical). I will NOT succumb to the horrors of last-minute shopping. I’m going to bake, bake, bake and give, give, give. Our home will be filled with greenery and candles and nativity scenes and music and people and laughter and a variety of delicious soups simmering in the Crock-pot.
It never happens.
The Advent Calendar, the Joshua Tree (okay, Jesse Tree–see what I mean?), the caroling around our neighborhood bearing homemade goods? Never happens.
So, this year? I have no lofty expectations. And keep this on the down-low, but I’m thinking that this might be the year that BIG things happen.
It’s already started. I got this book in the mail a few days ago and read it in no time flat.
And promptly wrote an Amazon review.
Touching Wonder by John Blase
Many of us have heard the Christmas Story a bazillion times. It quickly becomes impersonal, just some plastic story about people who aren’t even real. The last few Christmases, I’ve tried hard to put myself in the story as much as possible. To imagine the characters–Mary, Joseph, shepherds–as normal people just like me. People with feelings, weaknesses, fears. I love reading historical fiction accounts that help me empathize, relate, appreciate. (Two from Galilee and the Nativity Story are favorites.) I love how Touching Wonder takes actual Scripture (mainly from the raw, poetic Message Version of the Bible) and then extrapolates on those verses with poignant narration from each of the main players (and some “extras” as well). I’m adding this book to my collection of books that help me truly experience the Christ in Christmas.
I don’t know the author personally, but I feel like I know his wife after reading her blog and chatting with her online a bit. Meredith lost her daddy a little over a month ago to pancreatic cancer (the same thing Patrick Swayze had), and her post yesterday about him really touched my heart. Sending prayers and hugs out West to you, Meredith!
John has graciously offered to let me keep my own copy of the book (woohoo!), and he’s going to send the winner their very own personally autographed copy! And he said he’d sign any name you want. For example: To Krista, Christmas Blessings! Yours–Max Lucado. Seriously, he said he could do that.
So, for a chance to win Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas, tell me one thing you’d like to do this season to make Christmas meaningful. I’ll draw a winner randomly at noon on Friday. And John’s giving away a few copies on his blog as well.
For an additional entry in the give-away, all you have to do is dress up like Santa today and walk up and down the streets of your city/town wishing people a Merry Christmas.
Happy Wednesday, friends!
Love your giveaway…I have a great giveaway on my new Christmas blog….Turn up the music and listen to the words…..
I’m determined to stop the last-minute silly gift buying. I want all of the gifts I give to be meaningful this year. My plan is to start early and have a wonderful peaceful home this December.
Now that our kids are old enough (4 & 5) to understand more about helping others, we’d really like to do something substantial and meaningful for another family. We’ve done smaller things like the shoe boxes, etc…. But it would really be neat to pull the focus of Christmas towards serving others instead of getting presents and sitting around eating a boatload of yummy food. I’m hoping we can accomplish something like that this year.
I want to have you and your youngest come over so we can tackle Christmas cookies together while the lasses play. That way, we fellowship, as well as get cookies for the neighborhood.
My goal this year is to get a bag of cookies to each house on our block and get to know them!
And eat cookies. I forgot that part.
This year we want to start a family tradition that my son will remember, he’s only 14 months right now, so we hope that by December, he may remember what we do. We hope to do something meaningful like serving food to the homeless or getting gifts for kids whose parents are in prison (Angel Tree). We want our son (and future children if God blesses us with more) to know Christmas isn’t all about mememe and presents.
This year my goal is to stick to my budget, focus on giving to those who are truly needy, and try to keep things simple so my kids don’t see me running around frantically trying to get a hundred things done.
I love to bake cookies and give them out to everyone. I haven’t done it in a couple of years and would love to do it this year.
I want to do the Advent Calendar!
Plus, since my daughter is now two, I think we can do more things to show the true meaning of Christmas. Lord, let it be so.
I would like to identify a way for my 5 year old to serve others this Christmas season. We need to slow down and enjoy the time together as a family.
I think that our family could find the most meaning if we just slowed down and kept things simple. Sometimes I feel like I get caught in the shuffle of more is better and I don’t just mean gifts…it could be multiple nativity scenes, advent calendars, advent wreaths, trees…all are good but when I try to do it all…it is just too much. I hope that maybe we would decorate more simply and perhaps just focus on one aspect in the Christmas story…perhaps the shepherds or Mary, etc.
Thanks for getting me thinking about this early!
I want to begin doing Advent in our home each Christmas. I grew up with my family doing an Advent wreath every Sunday night and ending on Christmas eve. We would light a candle, read a section of the Christmas story, sing a Christmas carol and then pray as a family. My Children are getting to the age that I think this would be a wonderful family tradition to carry on in my family.
I’m always forgetting until AFTER the holiday to bring out the Little People nativity for our girls. I’m hoping to do it at the right time this year and to spend the month using it to tell and re-tell the Christmas story. Ana really got into the Easter story last year, so I think she and Em will both be to an age where they can comprehend and remember it this year.
I bought a cookie making kit that has a little story that goes along with it to tell the story of Christmas and this year, I really want to have my husband, 3 boys and I make these cookies and take them around to our neighbors. I really feel that it will be a great chance to reach out to our neighborhood and share the Lord with them. I KNOW that will make Christmas more meaningful, not only for us, but for the people who live around us too!
My children are still very young, but I really want to try to minimize the ‘material gifts’ focus. During the last Easter Season, we introduced the Resurraction Eggs, have led them in structured play with the eggs several times since last Spring, and will probably tell the Easter Story again together with the Christmas story. I’m trying to think of a way to make the connection between the baby Jesus and the grown-up Sacrificial Lamb Jesus in a way that they could at least begin to understand. My 3-yr.-old is constantly pretending that her baby dolls are Baby Jesus. I don’t know…maybe get out the family pics and show them mom/dad as a baby, growing up, and adults, and make the connection between Jesus in the manger, and grown-up Jesus. Probably we’ll also bring it back to the Christmas celebration by emphasizing that the gift is not just in Jesus’s birth, but in what he did on the cross — the real gift is Salvation through His shed blood.
I have two small boys at home. I want them to know that Christmas is about the birth of a very important baby, not presents. We are finding ourselves in a position of rationing presents from the grandparents and we hardly get them anything ourselves. We could spend all day opening gifts from “back home”. It’s crazy. I want to teach my sons to think JOY; Jesus first, Others second and then (Y)ourselves. I’m not sure yet how we will convey all of this in the context of Christmas (there are so many options). I want this to be something to make into a well-loved tradition and to pass on to my grandchildren.
I’m like you and every year I try to be intentional about making the most of Christmas. But I get overwhelmed and never feel like I’ve succeeded in really honoring Christ in our celebration of His birth. I would love to read John’s book. I adore Meredith and I know they work really hard to make Christmas special for their family.
One thing I plan to do special this year is clear the calendar and sit down as a family every night to slowly read the Christmas story.
This Christmas, I’d love to not stress and really just ENJOY the season. And of course make lots and lots of hot spiced tea to drink – YUM!
I never win blog giveaways…maybe THIS is finally my chance.
Please, please??
I am dreading Christmas this year. My son will be in Iraq. But I know we will figure out how to make it special. For one thing his three children will be here at my house and I am sure we will skype with him.
I’m really looking forward to our Christmas programs at church. I sing in our adult choir and we’re getting ready to start practicing on our program. Our Youth and Children’s programs are always awesome too! And sometimes, on Wednesday nights, our church gets together and goes caroling through our community. What a great way to spend Christmas!!!
A couple of years ago I bought an advent devotional book. This year I plan to work through it, from beginning to end, and use some of the activities in it to do with my two daughters. I really want them to see Christmas as important for Christ….not for the presents.