season of simplicity

Over the years we’ve gone from having stressful holidays to joyful holidays and for me it started with one thought - What does Christmas mean?

I was so caught up with making sure my kids had everything on their Christmas lists and the newest and coolest toys/gadgets that I lost sight of the most important thing of all - the meaning of Christmas.  The holidays always seemed to be a big let down for me. The kids enjoyed unwrapping their mountain of gifts (who wouldn’t,) but after taking their loot to their room I wouldn’t see them the rest of the day. 

Take the focus off of gifts and put it on the “meaning” of Christmas. 

Something had to change - I prayed.  One thought kept popping up in my head over and over - What does Christmas mean (insert light bulb above head.)  I realized that although in my family we didn’t celebrate Santa Claus we were still getting caught up in the “trappings” of the holidays.  It was time for me to step back, re-evaluate and simplify the holidays.  I wanted to make sure that we were celebrating the meaning of Christmas and putting the focus on Jesus. One little way we do this is by adding a bible verse to every gift that we give. I enjoy making my own tags for gifts and this was the perfect place for a bible verse.  I found for us to simplify the holidays we needed to understand Christs birth and that’s where The Jesus Gifts came in. 

Then I needed to decide what our traditions were and really define them and make them prominent. For example, the weekend before Christmas I bake. Cookies, brownies and fudge - oh yum!  The kids and I decorate and pass all the goodies out to family and friends the week leading up to Christmas. We also set up our tree and make hot cocoa (yes even when it’s 90 degrees out) and reminiscence about past holidays the day after Thanksgiving.  For some reason we seem have a strange type of selected amnesia and are only able to remember the funny, embarrassing moments of Christmas’ past.

On Christmas Eve, we hide the elf and let the kids find him.  When the kids were smaller we would hide a special piece of candy (a kinder egg) in his little sack (we have an older elf.) As our kids got older we wanted to keep this tradition going so we changed out the candy and added money. Truth be told this is the funniest tradition EVER watching them race around the house to find the elf. Especially as they walk by it over and over - hehe. 

The best gift you can ever give a friend is time. Going out to dinner, watching a movie, or even going out for a cup of coffee is the best gift ever!

Remember kids take direction from you.  If you put the emphasis on gift giving then that is what Christmas will mean for them.  Last year we did The Jesus Gifts and I can tell you it was one of the best Christmas’s we’ve ever had!

If you are like me and come from a big family (I am one of 7) plus, my husbands side of the family.  Then you’re in my boat with ton of nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters, parents, aunts, uncles etc. The holidays, specifically gift giving can get out of hand quickly.  We found a way to keep everything in perspective…...budget, budget budget.  Excluding our parents, we spend $5 dollars per person - period.

We’ve done stockings full of candy (parents may not like this but the kids LOVE this one,) hygiene kits (makeup and shaving bags) filled to the brim with all of the samples and freebies we’ve gotten all year long, outfits (from clearance) that I held onto until the holidays (I’ve gotten coats that normally cost $90.00 for $5.00 just because I got them during the summer!)  I shop online and get loads of freebies like sewing machines etc. and pull all of these together for some great themed baskets (cooking, sewing, beach etc)

Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ and to remember his gift to us - eternal life.  So if you find yourself in the stress cyclone this holiday season stop and ask yourself “What will it take for you to have a season of simplicity.”