Life as a Christian Woman

Have you ever seen a calendar with “Boxing Day in Canada” listed as a holiday on Dec. 26 (or sometimes another date)? I always wondered what it meant, but I figured that those crazy Canadians had some special holiday that the rest of the world didn’t know about.

But after I looked it up, I found that the holiday, which is observed in Australia, New Zealand, Britain and Canada. It has it’s roots in St. Stephen’s Day (as it is still called sometimes in Britain), when the tradition of the upper classes giving money or goods to the lower classes. Christmas Day was for gift exchanges between peers, but the days afterwards were for giving to the poor. Additionally, churches that had collected items for the poor would distribute the donations on the 26th.

I kind of liked the sound of that. And as I did more checking, I found out that some Americans had adopted the tradition. And frankly, that was that for me.

But a few years ago I had a baby. And that baby started getting toys at Christmas. And my husband and I noticed that our closets were bulging. I bought my new calendar and saw “Boxing Day.”

Hmmm…

So now we have a tradition at our house, and more than a few of our friends have picked up the idea, too. On December 26, or soon afterwards, we box up things we don’t need, or haven’t used in a long time. Last year our daughter turned four, and got in on the action. Of course, it took more than a little coaxing to get her to part with some of those toys… ok, and it took a little coaxing for me to get rid of some of my clothes… but it is slowly becoming our family’s way to give back to others.

But it has also taught us how much we have… actually it has taught us that we have too much. We don’t buy a lot of things, so it surprised both my husband and I the first year we cleaned out the closets.

So many of us have so much “stuff” and it just sits in drawers and closets… at one point it was all “must have” now it sits. Why not give it new life, and give someone else the things they really need?

So Happy Boxing Day, Everybody!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Be sure to take time today to remember the birth of our Lord and Savior. No matter where you are, what you are doing or who you are with, it is important to stop and remember. And then,

Rejoice!

Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful

By: John F. Wade

Oh, come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the king of angels:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God
In the highest:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

It’s here, finally.

With any luck, all the presents have been bought and wrapped, and either sit beneath your tree or are on their way to destinations near and far. The decorations are up, the stockings are hung, you know the story.

Now what?

Well, I have a suggestion. How about getting back to the truth of Christmas? Stop. Take a break. Read Luke 2. Revisit the birth of Jesus. Remember why we are celebrating.

If your church isn’t having a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day service, perhaps you can find one that does. Or maybe a small family devotional will serve the purpose.

The point is, after all the chaos of the last few weeks, it is time to settle in and remember the Christ child. My family is staying at home for Christmas for the first time in my little girl’s young life. I was scrambling to find something to “do” on Christmas Eve. Following our church’s Christmas Eve service, I had a big excursion planned. We would go out to a local park that has Christmas lights up and drive through. Then we would go to the theme park and watch a Christmas movie on their big screen, ice skate, ride a coaster.  As I related all this to my husband, my little girl chimed in from the backseat.

“I know what we should do,” she said. My husband and I looked at each other and smiled. Emilee has a great imagination and thinks big. We couldn’t wait to hear her idea.

“Let’s stay home, build a fire and make hot cocoa,” she said, “then sing Christmas carols, read about Jesus and go to bed!”

Let’s just say that I was put in my place in a big way.

So that is just what we are going to do tonight. Put on our jammies, maybe roast some marshmallows. Sing carols, maybe watch a Christmas movie, then read the story of Christ’s birth. Then it’s lights out time.

Sounds like the perfect Christmas Eve to me!

Mary Did You Know

by Buddy Greene and Mark Lowery

Mary did you know that you baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked wear angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation.
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you’re holding
is the Great I Am.

I think about Mary sometimes. What was she like? How did she handle the news that she was pregnant? That she was giving birth to the son of God?

What did she think the day she gave birth? In a strange place, not even in the privacy of a room, but out among the animals. What did she think as she held Jesus for the first time, heard him cry.

What did she think when, as a 12 year old, he “schooled” the religious leaders of his day? What went through her head when he began his ministry? When word reached her he had preached to 5,000, and fed them with a little boy’s lunch?

What did she feel when her son was taken into custody and the mobs yelled “Give us Barabas”? What did she think as she saw her son, her baby boy, nailed to a cross, mocked, ridiculed.

Finally, when she heard the news of the resurrection, how did she react?

Mary’s life must have been filled with so many contradictions… a virgin who gives birth. A son who is the son of God. As she saw him lead thousands of people, she must have felt so much pride. When she heard about his stoning, her heart must have ached like no other. And as she watched the nails pierce his hands and feet, saw him hung on a cross like a common criminal, I can’t fathom the devastation.

Did she wonder if God had deserted her? If this had all been some big practical joke?

And when she found out about her son’s resurrection, did she believe, or did she doubt?

There is so much we don’t know about Mary. When asked who I would like to have at dinner if I could have anyone, I always say Mary first. I’d love to sit and talk to her, see what it was like to raise the son of God.

In the meantime, it’s enough to know that God chose her. How special she must have been!

I love Christmas music. I am a Christmas music junkie. I like it all: classical, the old (I mean really old) in Latin, newer music, children’s Christmas music, I even like “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” I’ve obviously passed this on to my daughter, because she sings and danced to Christmas music year ’round.

Today at church we sang “Hark, The Herald Angels Sing” and I think the words are worth looking at in-depth.

First off, the song was written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley who founded the Methodist Church. Written in 1739, the lyrics we know went to a very different tune. Charles was very serious, very somber, and didn’t like upbeat music. All his hymns were to slow, mournful tunes.

More than 100 years later, in 1840, composer Felix Mendelssohn was writing a cantata to commemorate the invention of the printing press by Johan Gutenberg 400 years earlier (I have to admit, I can’t imagine a cantata about a printing press, but that is off topic!). English musician William H. Cummings put two and two together, fitting the lyrics of Wesley with the music of Mendelssohn, and voila! Instant Christmas traditional carol… ok, not so instant since it took three musicians more than 100 years, but you get the idea!

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Words by Charles Wesley (1739)
Music by Felix Mendelssohn (1840)
Arranged by William H. Cummings (1857)

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.

Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

What an uplifting song! I can’t imagine it sung to a slow, mournful tune, this is a Christmas hymn of celebration. Let’s put the words in a more modern light:

The first verse is telling us to listen! The angels are singing! The baby that has been born will reconcile us sinners with God. C’mon everybody, all nations get up and sing with the angels!

The second verse goes on: Jesus is here, our Lord. He’s here in flesh and blood, one of us. His holiness is “veiled,” covered by his humanness. He is actually PLEASED to live among us.

The third verse continues the words of praise: Hail our prince of peace, our sun. He is the light we have needed in our darkness. Yet, he puts all of his own glory to the side, to come here…

Born that man no more may die!

He gives us a second birth, a second life in God, the Father.

What a song of praise, of celebration, of victory! This beautiful hymn tells the whole story of Jesus: Birth, Purpose, Life, Death, Redemption… Victory!

Sing it loud and proud this week… it’s not just the story of Jesus birth, it’s the story of our redemption.

I work for a company that does online research…. kind of a “you text us the question, we’ll text you back the answer” thing. Really cool job. I can sit in my house in my jammies and work, and you can’t beat that!

There are literally tens of thousands of us “guides” around the country answering these questions. We never meet or see each other, yet there is a sense of community on the forums. Usually we are sharing ideas for ways to answer questions faster, or technical stuff (which is totally beyond me!).

But due to tons of requests, the company opened up a thread where guides could offer items and services to other guides who might be going through tough times. The response has been amazing. People offering to ship nearly new baby items, toys, blankets. Offering to do personalized Christmas cards. One member even offered to proofread papers for college students, while another said that, while she didn’t have much money, she would be glad to buy and ship a present for a child.

But one offer has caught my eye.  I will put the whole post here:

I can offer some lovely hairbows/clippies for little girls that I have made myself. Details, such as colors, can be discussed through a PM. If I don’t have the colors you want, I have a wonderful friend in Texas who most likely does.

In return, all I ask is for a little prayer for my father in law. He had a lung transplant in October in Cleveland, OH (he lives in NY, 10 min from our family) and is still in the hospital. My mother in law is temporarily living there until he is well enough to travel back home. They are very close to us and our 3 sons and will not be home for Christmas.

I will make any bow for any little girl in return for a prayer.

posted by HollyRC

We read lots in the paper these days about bailouts, whether it is for homeowners who are facing foreclosure, businesses that are struggling to make payroll or entire industries that may have to shutter their doors.

One definition of bailout is:

to relieve or assist (a person, company, etc.) in an emergency situation…
Dictionary.com

Sometimes bailouts work, other times they fail miserably. Sometimes those that need the bailout go to the government or other governing body, hat in hand, humbly making promises that they have no intension of keeping, kind of hedging their bets. Other times, the person or entity asking is seeking to fix mistakes of the past, a sort of redemption.

And that is the final goal of any bailout… redemption. A definition of redemption is:

Atonement for guilt… recovery by payment, as of something pledged.
Dictionary.com

Bet you see where I’m going with this now, huh?

More than 2,000 years ago, the ultimate “bailout” was born in a stable in Bethlehem. He was promised to us by the Old Testament prophets, pledged to us. His birth began the process of redemption, began the bailout for the world’s sins. Thirty-three years later, he payed the ultimate price to purchase this bailout, and three days later, the redemption was completed

… The cross, our bailout.

… The resurrection, our redemption

… His life, our eternal life.

See, sometimes bailouts work really well! And the terms of this bailout are pretty straightforward and easy. Just accept Him and believe. Confess your sins to Him. Accept the bailout.

As we celebrate the birth of our Lord this Christmas, remember His death and resurrection. One is nothing without the other. And the two together have consequences that you can live with… eternally!

My husband and I have a little reality check we use on each other. If our daughter wants one of us to play with her, but that parent is totally immersed in stuff that doesn’t really matter (like watching TV!), the other parent sings the chorus of “Cat’s in the Cradle.”

For those of you too young to remember, the song by Harry Chapin tells the story of a man who is too busy to play with his child. You know how it goes, work all day, always on the go. The son grows up asking his day to play ball or some other game, but the dad is just always too busy. As you can guess, the song ends with the dad, now retired, trying to reconnect with his son. But guess who is too busy now? And not only that but the son, now grown with a family of his own, has no time for his own children. (you can read the lyrics to the song by clicking here).

I thought of this song the other night when we were out to eat. I was on my cell phone, my husband was on his cell phone, and our daughter was just sitting there

And that got me to thinking (always a very dangerous thing, according to my husband!). What if, instead of racing all over town for that perfect gift for my daughter, I gave her something that would be far less exciting, yet much  more valuable.

Me.

We set the table that our children will metaphorically eat at for the rest of their lives. How we treat them is how they will treat their children someday. If we let them know that they are valued, that we enjoy spending time with them, they will someday pass that down.

The Bible is pretty explicit on how we are to raise our children:

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

…do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. Colossians 3:21

A child left to his or her own devices, devoid of guidance and love, will become discouraged, bored, lonely. And here is a news flash…

You can’t buy love. You can’t wrap it in a box, put a pretty bow on it and go on your merry way. Love takes time and patience. And work. And more patience… lots and lots of patience!

But you aren’t just influencing your child, you are influencing generations of your bloodline to come.

Kind of worth the investment, isn’t it?

I’ve gotten quite a bit of feedback regarding the t-shirt I mentioned the other day. For those of you who missed that column, I was at the mall and saw a shirt that had a cross on it, with a circle/slash. While I couldn’t remember the store where I saw the t-shirt, several readers mentioned that they had seen the t-shirt at Hot Topic. I decided to go to their website and check it out, and there it was.

To give you more specific details, the shirt is black, with the aforementioned cross with a circle/slash through it. The words “Bad Religion” are above the symbol. If you would like to see the shirt, go to HotTopic.com, click on apparel then click on t-shirts. This specific shirt can be seen on page 31. Hopefully, if you click here, you will be taken directly to the page.

I did a little more research, and found that the shirt is the logo for a band called Bad Religion.

I don’t care. Personally, I feel like it is an attack on my faith, and the t-shirt has no place in the mall, or anywhere else for that matter. Again, if the shirt were racist, or attacked Muslims, Hindu, or any other religion, it would not be permitted. But Christians are fair game.

Several readers have suggested inundating Hot Topic with emails regarding the t-shirt, and I think that is a great idea. So I am asking each of you, if you feel led to take a stand on this issue, email Hot Topic with your opinion. Speak from your heart. And if you are so inclined, ask your friends to email Hot Topic, as well.

By the way, I realize that Hot Topic is far from the only place you can purchase items of this nature. But the store is popular, located in malls all over the U.S. And they have chosen to hang the offending t-shirt where it is visible to everyone, at this most holy time of year for Christians.

I don’t know if we can get them to take it off the racks and out of the stores, but I do know that if we don’t at least try our voices won’t be heard.

Thanks to all of you who have written and suggested this “campaign.” Again, if you are so led, write an email, say a prayer, and hit send.

To e-mail Hot Topic:
Go to the website: HotTopic.com
Click on Customer Service (at the top of the page)
On the next page, go to the bottom and click on “Email Us.”

You can call Hot Topic at:
In the U.S.: 1-800-892-8674
Outside the U.S.: +1-626-709-1189

You can snail mail Hot Topic at:
Hot Topic, Inc.
18305 San Jose Avenue
City of Industry, CA  91748

In one final note of irony, Hot Topic’s phone lines are open 24/7… except they will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

My family and I headed south this weekend, and ended up at Opry Mills, a huge outlet mall in Nashville. My husband, daughter and I decided to do a little Christmas shopping and look at the lights. Big mistake, it was so packed that just to get into the parking lot took nearly half an hour!

But we persevered. We made it to the mall, actually found a place to park and started walking around. We were focusing more on window shopping than actually going in and checking it all out (easier to keep our five year old from wanting every toy in sight that way). As we walked, I glanced over at the store front of a t-shirt shop. There were the usual team t-shirts, football jerseys and message t’s. Then I saw something that stopped me dead in my tracks…

A t-shirt with a cross on it, with the internationally known “circle slash” through it.

I couldn’t believe it. Surely, I thought, here in the midst of the Bible belt I was not looking at something so blatantly sacrilegious. But I was.

I looked around. There must be a Christian protest going on somewhere. No way this mall, with huge “mega” churches all around it, could have something like this on display without some sort of outcry.

Well, yes they could, they did, and not one person in sight seemed even slightly phased.

I kept walking, stunned by what I had seen. I was too stunned to even mention it to my husband.

I was angry. Where was the public disgust? Where was the crowd of Christians, lined up with picket signs, demanding that the offending t-shirt be taken down? Oh yes, I know all about free speech. I am a journalist by degree and trade. But free speech also covers those who disagree, and surely at this most holy time for the Christian church there would be some sort of righteous indignation.

Nope.

I stewed the rest of the night. I growled through dinner, grumbled on the drive home, and lay in bed shocked and amazed. I thought about it at church on Sunday, prayed about it. Prayed that the Christians in Nashville would rise up and address this evil.

I guess, beyond the obvious message on the shirt, what bothered me most was that no one seem to care. How could all those people let this go? If this shirt had a message ridiculing Allah, people of the Muslim faith would rise up to get the t-shirt off the racks. If the message had been racist or anti-semitic, people of color or from the Jewish faith would have been protesting with letters to the editor and lawsuits.  Where were the Christians? Where were those that should have been standing up for the faith?

Then it hit me… where was I?

I was at the store. I was right there, and I did nothing. Not a peep. I was upset and angry. But I did nothing. I didn’t ask the store manager why such a shirt was allowed to be displayed. I didn’t call the newspaper or local churches to see if they were aware. I didn’t ask my attorney friend what I could legally do to stop it. Heck, why didn’t I go in the store, buy up every single one of those repulsive shirts, take them home and burn them, making sure that no one would ever wear them?

I did nothing.

I am ashamed.

I didn’t stand up for my Lord.

I am so ready to let others fight the battle while I sit in my corner of the world, safe in church and at home. I am angry when other Christians don’t fight the good fight, yet when an opportunity to do “battle” presented itself I rode away on my “high horse.”

I’m not there now. It’s too late for me to recapture that moment. But I have learned a lesson, and it’s a lesson that I hope I can pass on. Be ready, folks. The battle ground is everywhere. It is open season on our faith. If we don’t defend it, if we stand by meekly and let our freedom of religion be taken from us, it will be. We each have to fight the fight.

Don’t be like me, don’t wait for someone else to take the battle to Satan. He is knocking on every Christian’s door. Don’t be afraid to answer the door…

And punch his lights out!

After a brief internet search, I found a picture of the offending logo. I considered running it, but chose not to.

Affirmation: The assertion that something exists or is true.
Definition courtesy Dictionary.com

There used to be a skit on Saturday Night Live called “Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley.” Each skit ended with the main character looking into a mirror at himself and repeating,

“I’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!”

The skit was popular, and the phrase entered the popular lexicon enough to spawn a book and movie. And the truth is that we all need that daily affirmation. But as important as it is to receive it, we must also give affirmation to others.

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul teaches us how to affirm, what traits are needed to be an uplifting Christian to those around us. Words such as encourage, respect, love and patience spring out at us:

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:11-23

In today’s society, when it seems like we are expected to live narcissistic lives and think only of ourselves, Paul’s words are a reminder that it isn’t just about us, it is about our community… our community of faith and our community of love. It is about those around us, all of those around us.

At Christmas, it seems like there is no shortage of charitable activities around us. But charity and affirmation of those around us is a 12 month job. No breaks, no vacations. We are Christians, we must show God’s love. And as God affirms us with His love, we must affirm others.

I heard an interesting story the other day. A man visited our church the other day, and at the altar call he went up and spoke to our pastor.

Nothing too unusual about that, right?

Except the man was homeless. And the story of how he ended up at our church is the important part of the story.

This man was downtown one day last week. We have been in the midst of a bitter cold snap, and the man had no money, nowhere to stay. A well-dressed gentleman approached him, asked about him. The homeless man told his story, and the gentleman who had approached him gave him a few dollars, enough to allow him to find a place to sleep.

And he asked the homeless man if he knew Jesus. And then he invited him to church.

So on Sunday, this homeless man showed up. He said he wanted to check the church out for himself, so he walked 3-4 miles to get there. He told the preacher his story. After the service, the homeless man came back into the choir room, and started playing the piano. He sat at the keyboard, in his worn and tattered clothes, missing teeth and having obviously lived a hard, hard life.

And he played beautifully.

Then he began to sang, a song that he had written. It was about angels, angels living around us.

He spoke to the choir for a few moments. Our preacher made the comment that this man was “our angel.”

And then he was gone.

Later that night, several choir members expressed the desire to find him again and help him out. But the reality is that none of us may ever see him again.

The homeless, the infirmed, are hidden in plain sight. We see them everywhere, yet we fail to actually “see” them. They’re dirty. Poor. Smelly.

And they are God’s children.

I’m sure that all who came in contact with this man had the idea of pouring a blessing on him, yet it turned out the other way.

Angels among us.

Later this month many of us will be packing up our cars with suitcases and gifts, and heading to visit family and friends. In essence, we will be “taking Christmas” with us.

But how many times have we heard the old saying, “The spirit of Christmas lives in our hearts.” Maybe it is one of those cliches that no longer resonates since we have heard it so often, but here is the reality, broken down:

Christmas is about Jesus.
Jesus is about love.
Christmas is in our hearts.
Therefore, Christmas (and love) go with us everywhere!

So as Christians, our reality of Christmas isn’t packed into the back of our SUV, loaded up and ready to head north, south or any other direction. Wherever we go, the love of Christ goes, as does the Christmas spirit.

Only thing is, we need to show it. We need to open up our hearts and let it out.

My stepdaughter, who works at a big department store, commented last year on how amazingly rude everyone was this time of year. She told horror stories of arguments breaking out over sizes, time spent waiting in lines, you name it.

So where was the love? Where was Christ in all of this?

I know, here I go beating that same old drum, but we can’t get dragged into this mess that has become modern Christmas. Suddenly we see Jesus pushed to the back, hidden behind ribbons, bows, and the latest CD from Hannah Montana. We skip our tithe to buy the bike our child really wants. God won’t care, He understands how important it is.

Oh really?

Do you really think that God doesn’t care that we are willing to tromp all over His son’s birthday in the name of a character named Spongebob Squarepants?

Do you think God doesn’t notice that we will go sit down with our children on Christmas Eve and read “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” yet we don’t tell our children the story of the first Christmas?

So take Christmas with you everywhere this season… keep it in your heart to share with others. Not Christmas the way the world says it is, the way the retailers want it to be, but Christmas as it was intended more than 2000 years ago, when a little baby came that changed everything.

‘Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.’
Bobby - age 7

I stumbled across this quote online. It blew me away in it’s simplicity and honesty.

I guess we talk so much about getting back to the “real” meaning of Christmas, getting away from the commercialism, that it becomes a cliche. Leave it to a seven year old to boil it down to the basics.

That one sentence has made me step back a bit. That love the Bobby talks about? That’s Jesus. That’s his love in the room. It’s family, and the love that a family brings. And usually on Christmas all that love is shoved in the corner in the fight to open the next present. It becomes a feeding frenzy of wrapping paper, bows and ribbons. Children barely have time to glance at one present before they have tossed it aside and moved onto the next one.

It doesn’t seem to matter what the gift is, only what the NEXT gift is!

And it has to stop. It is so easy to fall into the trap. We want our kids to have it all. Guess what? They don’t need it all, they need us. And they need to learn a love of our Lord. They “need” to know the real reason behind Christmas and Easter, beyond Santa and bunny rabbits.

Don’t get me wrong… those things are fine in moderation. I have no problems with Santa, and we have already made our trip to visit Mr. Ho Ho… several times! But our children should know that Christmas wasn’t invented to get presents, that Santa isn’t the center of the holiday.

Oh, and we need to skip the stress, which showers from us down onto our kids. They see us sweating out the “perfect” gift, which only serves to dilute the season even more.

Yes, I know that this is the second blog I have written on this topic. There will probably be more, too. I’m having to convince myself to make shopping second and Jesus first. Horrible, isn’t it? Seems like a Christian writer should be able to fight off the urges to buy more more more.

It’s so easy to get caught in all the glitter. But 100 years from now, will it be more important what our children received for Christmas? Or what they received through Christ Jesus into their hearts?

Not really a tough choice, is it?

So throughout the Christmas season, stop and listen for the love. It will sound beautiful!

The Christmas season is here, at last. It is in full force, with stores decorated and music playing everywhere. My newspaper has gotten significantly thicker with all the advertising inserts touting “can’t live without” products.

And I have begun my annual search for everybody’s “perfect” gift. I will stress out, over-think, and probably over-spend. I will attempt to dazzle my friends and relatives, amaze my husband with my gift-buying prowess, and put stars in my daughter’s eyes.

Not exactly a Christian prospective on Christmas, huh?

It’s so easy to lose sight of it all. On the one hand, I am trying to teach my daughter about Christ’s birthday, why he came to us. I don’t want her to get caught up in the commercialism.

But on the other hand, I feed the fire by wanting to buy her so much… too much. She doesn’t need it, and neither do I.

I want to teach her one lesson, but my actions are teaching her quite another.

This is one of those times I try to look upward for my parenting skills.

God, our Father, is the only “perfect” parent. He wows us everyday with sunrises and sunsets, with singing birds, vivid colors, love and life. He spoils us with His love, but the “things” of the world that we desire are often not the things He wants us to have.

It’s so important, and yet so very hard, to sit back and let God take the lead over the holiday season. This is His son’s birthday! The same son that He sent to die to redeem our sins.

We need to bring ourselves under control. Of course, the economy will be helping us with that to some extent, but rather than a spirit of getting, we need to be imparting a spirit of giving.

Several families I know take the Christmas season to box up things they no longer need… toys, dishes, clothes, whatever. Then they take the clothes to the Salvation Army or another deserving charity.

There are so many ways to keep Christmas about Christmas. So many lessons to teach those around us about Christ and giving. We just need to put our own wants, desires and selfishness behind us.