Celebrating Christmas

I love Christmas time. It is really right up my alley. Decorating, parties, cute matching outfits, trying new recipes and making old favorites, lots of family time, twinkly lights everywhere... all things I love big time. It is such a special time of year and I love sharing it with my family and friends.

But, Christmas is also kind of hard. Especially the past few years, I haven't been able to enjoy it fully. Because for me Christmas has always been about blessing the blessed. Giving stacks of presents to my children who have everything already (we have gone down to 3 gifts each... but still), making big elaborate meals for people who aren't that hungry. Spending hours decorating a home that looked nice in the first place....

And I know that there is nothing wrong with doing any of those things in and of themselves...

But, I tell my kids that our lives are all about loving others. When they act selfishly I try to remind them that we are here on this earth to serve other people above all else. But, I know that the message I send them with my own life is so different.

I guess it is just, I don't know how to do it differently. This is how I have always done Christmas. The past few years I have added dropping a check in the mail for our 2 Compassion kiddos for Christmas and maybe buying a chicken for someone in Africa. I throw a little money at a few good causes to try to ease my conscious and maybe try to convince myself that I am a really good person. But, I turn right back around and get back to baking cookies for people that already have counters full of them and wrapping gifts that will be thrown into piles of dozens of others.

And I write this with no real answers. Just that, I get why my kids don't understand why Christmas isn't about presents and cookies and well... them having fun. It is the only message that they have ever seen lived out. And I want to continue to bless my children at Christmas and enjoy the holiday together. But, I can't keep doing it the exact way I have been. I have to figure out a way to make it more about Jesus and less about excess.

I loved this post by Ann Voskamp I read a couple of days ago. I would love to hear your ideas on how you give to Jesus at Christmas. What does it look like for your family?