Christmas will be a little different (in a good way) for our family this year. In fact, it’s probably going to be the best Christmas ever…our first RV Christmas!!!
We’ve gotten asked on more than one occasion, “What about a Christmas tree?” Well, guess what? We have a Christmas tree, and stockings, and lights, and ornaments, and mistletoe, and our family’s traditional countdown socks…in our RV!!! I even had an ornament made to commemorate this time. Christmas is going to be so much fun this year!
It’s really interesting how much our perspective has changed. When talking with the kids about making a list for Santa, they were having a really hard time coming up with things they wanted. WHAT IN THE WORLD??? Well, there has been a shift in our household. When they had big bedrooms, they couldn’t wait to get the latest, greatest toy to add to their collection of junk they owned but rarely played with, and we tried to keep up to see their sweet little smiles on Christmas morning. Now, we live so simply….so differently. And we love it so much!
We decided it would be fun and wise because we are limited on space,
to do the 4 Gift Christmas Challenge. They have had so much fun trying to come up with things in these categories and it has made life so much easier for me! I have felt zero stress this year leading up to Christmas so far! And I just have a couple more small gifts to grab. I highly recommend this if you are looking to simplify your Christmas!
We also put together Blessing Bags to hand out to the homeless. That has been a really neat experience too. We may not have a huge budget for Christmas this year, but we are so blessed to be able to give to others.
We have also been going through The Family Book of Advent by Carol Garborg every morning during our devotional time. It is filled with 25 stories and activities to celebrate the meaning of Christmas. There are a few supplies to round up, but they provide you with a list.
Emily, our 11 year old, has finally figured out all about Santa. I can’t believe how emotional I got telling her the truth about Santa. My baby is growing up. I had found an article several years back that I pinned on Pinterest about how to explain the Truth About Santa to your kids. It is beautifully written and she took it really well. The funniest part about our conversation that followed was she kept thinking of past gifts that “Santa” had somehow against all odds, brought her, and she felt awful! Ha! “And the Barbie Dream house?” That was from you? “And the discontinued LaLa Loopsy? How did you get that?” It was so cute to see her realizations surface and the giggles that followed. She is now super excited to be a part of Team Santa, and she is doing such a great job!
We are so excited to get to spend our Christmas holidays with family this year too! We are “wintering” (I use quotations because it’s been 70-80 degrees here) in my hometown of San Angelo, TX, and will be able to participate in Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with family! It’s been so long as we’ve lived away and had other responsibilities for about 10 years now.
So, I really wasn’t joking when I said this is going to be the best Christmas ever! I know everyone knows this, but Christmas really is about so much more than all of the stuff. Time is so precious. Take a deep breath. Hug your kids, your spouse. Take a break. Bake cookies. Cuddle on the couch and drink hot cocoa and watch Christmas movies with your kids. Bless someone. Give someone a gift they’ll never forget and something you can never get back…your time.
One of my favorite parts of the Christmas story is found in:
Luke 2:15 – 20.
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
How overwhelmed must Mary have been by all that she had experienced over the past months! The Scripture says, “she (Mary) kept all of these things in her heart and thought about them often”. I pray that regardless of your circumstances, whether you celebrate big, or very little this year, that you will be blessed with treasured memories this Christmas season! Be blessed, friends!
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