Good Morning!! God Bless and Merry Christmas!!

Actually that's what I wanted to talk about this morning-Christmas. I have been praying and seeking God's will about a few things lately, mostly at the suggestion of some questions from another homeschooling friend that I simply did not have the answer to. Of course, if there is something you don't know, what else should you do but read the word of God, and pray? That's it! Sometimes the answers don't seem to come, but usually God will either send an answer or peace in NOT knowing. We aren't meant to know everything, and the Bible clearly does leave some big questions unanswered. I believe though, that  that is where our faith comes in. We can step out in faith and choose to believe even though we don't fully understand. Also in faith, is the fact that I believe for a good chunk of things that the Bible doesn't expressly forbid, nor endorse specifically, that the Bible gives us Christian liberty to act in the way that we feel God specifically does convict us as individuals.

Let me clarify. One of the things that I have been seeking answers about is Christmas. Why do we use pagan symbols in our tradition of Christmas? It is widely know that some of the traditional symbols are also pagan symbols of long ago. I was told there is a Bible verse about Christmas trees specifically that forbids them! Of course, I just basically said I don't have an answer to that! I certainly agree that if the Bible says not to do something then we shouldn't make excuses or try to justify it--gay marriage and live in boyfriends come to mind. Let me mention now that I am NOT casting stones here. I just want to, in the spirit of transparency, admit that I have not lived a sinless life, and  believe that my sins are no bigger or smaller/better or worse than anyone else's. So in this time of seeking, I was not simply looking for a way to justify my keeping of Christmas nor point out someone else's error in not keeping it. I was just looking for a clear answer from God's word, as to what was the truth here.I feel no need either, to justify my convictions at this point. I only share them now because I know that there may be others out there who are praying and seeking and could use some encouragement. So, now that I have expressed that, I can move on with the rest of this post!!

I did some research on my own in the past few weeks and here is what I have found to be true.

#1) Symbols are just that. Symbols. Because our world has been around for thousands of years, and there have been many nations and cultures to come about, each having their own symbols. I think for the most part, a symbol can be what you mean it to be. Christians all over the world that choose to keep Christmas today, clearly do not have Christmas trees and candles because some pagans used those symbols in their idol worship thousands of years ago. I think the heart of the people is what matters. If I was kneeling at my tree in worship of the tree itself, then that would of course be wrong, but we do not do that. But to my family, candles and lights are a symbol that Jesus is the light of the world.

2)  We don't know what day Christ was born. But that shouldn't keep us from celebrating. Unless you are going to outlaw every. single. holiday.  EVER.    or festival  or feast-even those in the Bible, how can you argue that it would be wrong to celebrate Christ's birth? I understand that we don't know his birthday, and they likely didn't even celebrate birthdays back then. However, anything that promotes worship and love of my Lord is a good thing in my book. If the worshipers are sincere, then they have a connection with God and I believe he will honor that. As Christians we celebrate holidays that were not in the Bible, and some that are.  Thanksgiving and Easter are also not expressly mentioned in the Bible, but in my book they are both important! No one could argue (I don't think) that the puritans who came here seeking religious freedoms to go to church and to read their Bibles and pray openly in public, would have created a holiday to be idolatrous or frivolous. They were giving thanks to God for the bounty and the survival of those who had made it through the journey and providing provisions for them through those hard months. The wanted to celebrate and give thanks to their God and their new found friends. The Bible may not mention of our specific holidays, but it does say that some things are worth celebrating (ie Weddings) and they certainly had their own traditions in Bible times every year-all which were intended to honor God. 

In my opinion, December 25th is probably not the day he was born-like a 1/365 likelyhood pretty much.... but since we don't know, it's as good of a day to celebrate as any. And we have so much to be thankful for too: God sent his son to save us! That is huge! I think it is important to remember this, and celebrating Christmas every year is one way that I honor that.

3) Christmas has gotten too commercial. One of my favorite Christmas movies- A Charlie Brown Christmas, is especially good at pointing this out.  This time of year, many people have scrapped Christ completely from the holiday, and kids are asking for more and more things. It is clearly a highly marketable holiday, and there's plenty of money to be made. Most people are too busy to be bothered even with giving at this time of year anymore and are only concerned with what they can get instead. In fact, in the movie, there is an especially poignant line from Sally, Charlie's younger sister: "All I want is what I... I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share."  Obamaphone anyone? In a world that is more greedy than ever before, I see even more reason to keep Christmas! Especially in America, we feel entitled to take whatever we want, earned or not. We deserve it, right? That's such a great line for where we are today that it's hard to believe the movie was made nearly 50 years ago (yeh, I know, right!).

To me, it is a reminder though, that God's free gift to us is the best gift of all. While God doesn't say we should give gifts specifically to others, since it is his birthday we celebrate, I believe when done with a sincere heart --and that is the key--it honors him. In a world that seems to be seeking evil more and more each day, it can sometimes seem a fine line to live in this world instead of it. When I give gifts to others, it isn't to promote some materialistic thing. It is to show them LOVE above all, and in loving them, I am honoring Christ. A dear friend of mine is heading up the annual toy drive this year and it has just been amazing to see God work through this. Every time she hears about a need, God provides the perfect thing! It's a simple way to share love of Christ with those who need it most! She told a story yesterday about how her husband had given his coat away to a man he saw without one yesterday, and she had, without him knowing, just bought him a new one! Her family works so hard every year to help organize collecting and distributing toys to and from people in our local area. And without fail every year, her family gets sick. We both feel it is the evil one attacking her family for serving God. Because serving IS something Christ called us to do, and to me, giving IS serving. It's not about how much money I can spend or even save, Christ cares very little about that. But bringing joy to my kids and others I can share gifts with, lets them know I love them, as Christ loved me. I expect nothing in return, and in fact, prefer it that way. So it doesn't matter that some people spend thousands of dollars on top of the line toys for their crew or focus on getting the latest Ipad. To me, they can choose to serve the world if they want-we may not ever have an influence on some of them. I'm just gonna continue to keep Christmas and giving to others in whatever way God permits me to, because I believe nothing warms his heart more than his children loving on others so much so their his love spills out of them and they have a chance to share WHY they give! I give because it's a reminder of God's gift of Love to us, and, as my pastor so beautifully said last Sunday- Sincere giving is an act of worship to our Heavenly Father.

So, it is, without a doubt in my mind, a beautiful thing to celebrate Christmas. However, if you feel in your heart, that God for whatever reason, is calling you to do otherwise, you would be wise to listen! The Bible tells us in Colossians 2, that keeping Sabbath on a certain day or keeping certain festivals are a matter of personal conviction after Christ came. We are no longer under the old law, but rather, Grace. So it is with joy, I will celebrate this year and every year we have left on earth. And I will say that my dear friend is also right, as she feels convicted to do otherwise. If you would like to do some reading on this, I found a great article this morning here:  Answers in Genesis  that you might find interesting as well.   Regardless of how you celebrate, Peace, and God bless you!

Well the first of December was covered with snow...

Okay, so maybe it was, but not here. I just happen to really like James Taylor.

So, we've been really busy here, and I can't believe it's already December 1st. We are doing "light duty" for school. No workbooks (except the 100 Easy Lessons for Josh) till after Christmas, as long as they behave. We instead, will be doing Holiday themed math pages, printable activities, lots of board and card games, baking, reading lots and lots of books together and other Christmas fun stuff! 

I am almost done with Christmas shopping for the kids. I have 2 more gifts to buy for my kids, and 1 for my soon to be nephew Jackson. We have also started some new Christmas traditions in our household, and I really hope to continue them every year. We definitely have scaled back, at least in the amount of money we usually spend, and I am trying to come up with ways to make memories rather than focusing on how much stuff they can get. I want my kids to remember how good it feels to give to others, how good it feels to show love to others around you as Christ wants you to. I also want them to remember to live in a Christlike way all year round, but especially now more than ever. I want them to make memories with each other, so when they are grown with their own families, they will keep Christmas as special as we've tried to with memories-without focusing on the money or the stuff.

So, that being said here are my top 8 ways to make memories with your kids this Christmas and keep the magic alive.

10) Buy Christmas PJs! I still want to get Josh some, but next year, I think I'm going to get each kid a new set of PJ's and wrap them up and give them to each kid on Thanksgiving night. I also have thought about putting some little Christmas themed goodies in a box and wrapping them up (coloring book, crayons, candy canes, etc) and including that giving it to them on Thanksgiving, because no one wants Christmas goodies ON Christmas day once the season is over! I found Jonah some footie pj's at a garage sale for just $2, and I bought Hannah some at Kohls on sale. Hopefully I can get Josh some soon though. I will have to be better prepared for this next year.

9)Get Holiday pictures. This doesn't have to be an expensive thing, or even cost money at all! You can often find promotional deals at local stores that will offer free pictures with Santa to shoppers (no purchase required!) Bass Pro shops does this, and they have a whole Christmas village we plan on going to. But it is a neat tradition to have a holiday picture of your kids (with or without Santa) each year. The one year we didn't do it, I really regretted it. Also, look into Photography studios in your area that offer promotional deals. Many less than $15 for a whole bunch of pictures, some as low as $10! That is a small price tag for precious memories. If you just don't want to fork over the cash though, just get your kids or family all dressed up-be it in dress clothes or those Christmas PJ's- and take a picture by the tree. Take lots and lots of candid pictures and don't let the years pass you by. If you blink, you just might miss it!

8). Adopt an elf. For about $30 you can adopt an "Elf on the Shelf". It comes with a nice hardbound book, collector case, and an elf doll. Or, for a cheaper option, you could use any other elf type doll (there are others out there) or if you are really crafty you can make your own elf doll. There is no shortage of blogs out there, Pinterest pins, or Instagram photos of adopted elves causing chaos, or sneaking snacks. You adopt an elf, and it becomes your family elf. They will visit your family each year as Christmas approaches and stay until Christmas eve to be put away till the next year. The elf keeps an eye on the children during the day, reports back to Santa each night, and returns in the morning to hide in new spot. Sometimes elves are found in the middle of a big mess (not ours yet, thank goodness!) but I've joked saying if we end up with one of those "overzealous naughty elves" we will send it right back to the North pole! So far though, our elf usually just hides  but sometimes she (we named her Candie) is found to have done silly things. She came out a couple weeks ago, so I have been looking online for inspiration but haven't yet been brave enough to have her wreak havoc yet. 

7) Bake cookies. I still remember baking  

Christmas cookies with my Mamaw when I 

was a little girl, and now my mom 

has been passed the torch and is baking 

with my kids and my niece and nephew. It is such a special memory to make. We baked and decorated several dozen cookies. It was a lot of work, but it's something I don't think they will forget as we try to do it every year. They always look forward to it, especially Hannah. And when they are grown and have kids of their own, I will bake cookies with MY grandkids. 

6) Look at lights. There don't seem to be as many houses that decorate for Christmas as I remember from being a kid, but that just makes it more of a challenge. I read of one family recently, that their family tradition is to go to a local light display and eat fast food on the Friday after thanksgiving. We don't go on "Black Friday" but we do go every year, and then we go to CiCi's pizza every year. I happen to really like CiCi's because everyone can get whatever pizza they like and a salad buffet all for a low price. But my husband isn't a huge fan, so whenever we go to look at lights, that is the one day of the year we go to CiCi's since it is so close to the display. 

5. Watch holiday movies together and listen to Christmas music. You know, the ones you loved as a kid. If you have cable Hallmark (which we don't get anymore :/  ) and ABC family have the best Holiday movies, usually. Starting today, ABC Family does the 25 days of Christmas like they do every year, showing Christmas specials every day through Christmas Day. Right now, my kids are watching Mickey's Once upon A Christmas. Some of our other family favorites are Christmas Vacation, Elf, The Santa Clause movies, A Muppet Christmas Carol and the Polar Express. Of course two of my personal favorites are It's a Wonderful Life and White Christmas because I love the old movies! Snuggle up on the couch and drink hot cocoa. Eat some of those yummy cookies you baked. And you don't have to spend a fortune on Christmas cds like when or tapes or records...(haha) like when you were kid. Our local radio station is 24/7 Christmas music now, but if you don't have anything like that where you live, you can listen on Spotify, Pandora, or to radio stations like mine online. 

4)  Color with your kids. Do crafts and art projects. Let them make homemade gifts to give to loved ones  or create a special picture for them. If they are old enough, have them write a letter to a family member who lives far away (or not so far away), just wishing them a blessed Holiday season. Here's some ideas of kid friendly crafts that would make a good gift. Be creative. Use whatever you have around the house-you don't have to spend a lot of money on it to make it special. It will be both a fun memory and teach your children the joy of giving to others.

* Use Popsicle sticks and toothpicks to create a snowflake design, let the children paint it if they like, and then hot glue a ribbon, yard, or pipe cleaner to hang on the tree. 

*Using felt or craft foam, cut out circle shapes for ornament balls. Then, using pom poms, glitter puffy paint, or foam stickers, let them decorate the ornament. Be sure to write the date on the back, and tie a ribbon to attach it to the tree. 

*Make salt dough ornaments. Using a glass, cut the dough out into flat circle shapes and then allow your children to press their hand print into the dough. Then after baking, you can spray it with metallic paint, acrylic paint, or a clear glaze. Don't forget to use a toothpick to puncture a hole in the top of the ornament before baking.  Be sure to write their name, and date on it before glazing or in sharpie on the back after painting.

3) Do a Christmas Countdown. Whether it's an Advent Calendar or something else, it's a great way to create excitement in the days before Christmas. Sometimes it is hard for kids when they know Christmas is coming, to understand it takes time for the day to arrive. This year, a friend made us a Christmas countdown and we've had it hanging for a few weeks now. There are no days on it, but there are little pockets for each one to hold a special treat, candy, or toy. We started last night, and because there are no numbers assigned we will end our countdown on Christmas Eve. Each night, the best behaved kid gets the treat. I am hoping it won't cause any quarrels but rather, will encourage each of them to be on their very best behavior. At the end of the 25 days, on Christmas Eve, the child who was the best kid over all, gets to open a gift early! 

2) Read with them and to them. Let them read to you. That's one of the new traditions we have started this year. Of course, as homeschoolers, we do lots of reading together anyways. But after reading the idea on Pinterest, we have started a Christmas book basket. I will wrap Christmas related books (some new, some old) for 25 days of Christmas and each day the child who was the best helper gets to choose a book to unwrap. Then, we will snuggle under our special "Christmas blanket" and read the book together. Then, when Christmas is over, I will pack them all away for next year. Some of them I bought new. A few of them we already owned, but I still needed several more, so I went to the Goodwill bookstore and was able to get 18 books for about $25! Some are nice hardbound books, some are little board books meant for Jonah, some are paper back picture books. As they get older, I will filter in books meant for older kids and put away the board books for their kids. I think this is a cheap but memorable tradition that will help to foster a love of reading in them. 

1)Teach them the joy of giving and the value of earning money. Another one of the new traditions we've started this year is that they have "money jars" to save up their money. I've told my husband to get a roll of dimes from the bank where he works and for each chore they do, they can earn a dime. For bigger chores they might get 2 dimes!  Of course, if you have older children who can do harder work, you can choose to pay them whatever you like, but each of our kids gets to keep up with their own money cup (which is one of my disposable coffee cup with a lid taped to it). Then they can put their dimes in their jar and a few days before Christmas, we will go to the Dollar Tree and shop for gifts. We will of course, count up all their money and decide who they want to buy gifts for-and they have to buy gifts for siblings and cousins first. This is the first year we are doing this, and I cannot wait to see the joy in their eyes when they see their brothers or sister open up their gifts. I remember doing this as a kid, and saving my allowance for a few weeks and then buying gifts for everyone in my family from the the dollar tree. One year, I bought my Papaw a claw grabber thing, that he could use to reach behind things and grab something with its long arm.  I was so happy to have found gifts that I thought everyone could use, and I can still remember my grandparents telling me that he had dropped his keys behind something and he used the grabber to get them! What joy it gave me to feel like I gave someone something they appreciated and needed! I want my kids to feel that feeling as well, and rather than just giving them money, they will have to work hard and earn it! Oh, and let them wrap the presents too. They like to feel like big stuff, and that's an easy way to give them some responsibility without it being something that is too much for them.

So there you have it.