Simply Renovated

I must first preface this with this: In no way is this post judging those who do Santa and the Elf on the Shelf.  This is how WE do Christmas and you may have your opinions on our theory.  I am strictly writing this post because I've been asked multiple times how we keep Santa out of Christmas so I decided to write a blog post instead of answering everyone individually. ;) with that being said.....

It's beautiful here. 

 Hundreds of reasons to give thanks to the One who created all seasons. 

Winter is upon us. 

I have frosted window panes, weighed down pine trees, wet floors and snow drifting and blowing in all directions...even up the hill from the river. 

I have turkeys and pumpkins and leaves and feel like I am in the wrong season.  That instead I should have snowflakes and snowmen and evergreens.  Winter in the middle of November...I love it!  The season we concentrate on giving thanks and finding Joy in the midst of our giving thanks. 

There are Christmas trees on facebook already and oh.the.commercials.  Those commercials that glorify big chain stores and not being content with what you have.  Those commercials whispering in your ear that for your kids to have a good Christmas they need more things. And instilled in us is this desire to please our kids and give them everything we didn't have.  It was instilled by a God who loves us despite our faults and too wants the best for us...but what we think is the best for us isn't always what He thinks is the best for us...same for your kids.  What they think is the best for them...isn't always the best...in fact, most times it's not.  

I remember growing up and I remember Christmas.  It was definitely about the birth of Christ but it was also about Santa and all about gifts.  We had to believe in Santa.  Yes I had one of those moms who told me I had to believe in Santa and even to this day she makes me participate.  I laugh as I write this because she loves LOVES Christmas.  I love that about her.  My parents stayed up late and pulled all of the presents out and wrapped them nicely and uniformly and put them under the tree and labeled them each with our names and from Santa.  Some kids were traumatized when they found out the truth about Santa and some weren't.  I was not a child whose life was dramatically changed when I found out Santa wasn't real...

Honestly some of the reason we don't do Santa is pure laziness.  It seemed like too much to keep secret and watch what I say.  But then some of it is this...if we only have a short amount of time to raise our kids...we want to spend every single minute we can speaking truth into their lives.  Christmas is magical.  The mystery of Christ makes me fall to my knees and wonder, "who am I".  Christmas is a miracle and I want to shout at the top of my lungs and share that amazing miracle with our kids and everyone around us! 

  

"No ear may hear His coming...but in this world of sin.  Where meek souls will receive Him, our dear Christ enters in."

When I got married my husband and I had to discuss how we would "do" Christmas.  You see I came from a divorced family.  So I got two Christmas' and they were big.  We got everything we wanted and then some...boxes and boxes of stuff and stockings bursting with little goodies.  My husband on the other hand came from a home where Christmas was small and no stockings.  Two different backgrounds coming together to one conclusion...

There's only one way to do Christmas and that is focusing on the One and Only! 

It didn't take us long to make a decision.  And this is what we do....

Christ... JESUS...the name that sounds like breathe Yahweh.  

I am incredibly thankful for Ann Voskamp and her blog! Her ideas and thoughts on the Advent Season have really changed how we do Christmas.  We don't do Santa or the Elf on the Shelf.  We don't do massive amounts of presents and baking cookies for the man on the roof the night before Christmas.  We don't visit Santa or write him letters and guess what...my kids don't feel they are missing out on anything.  

We fill our homes with Christ and prepare room in our hearts for Him...His coming.  When we make room for him as a family...we are filled! 

I prepare for the advent season like I prepare for the home school year.  This is how we fill our hearts with more of Jesus as we prepare for Christmas.  We read a devotional every night.  Ann Voskamp now has two but for two years I only read The Greatest Gift devotional and we did it as a family. 

  

This advent devotional comes complete with a pass-code to download free Jesse Tree ornaments.  We made our Jesse Tree out of twigs.  With each devotional is an ornament along with a family activity.  I looked through the entire devotional and wrote down the family activities on little tags that we hung on a tree along with an act of kindness to do each day.  These acts range from baking cookies for neighbors, making your brothers bed or mailing Christmas goodies to military families.  

Just this year Ann wrote a children's Advent devotional called Unwrapping the Greatest Gift

I highly HIGHLY recommend getting this devotional because let's face it.  Would we do it on our own? This book has it all written out for you and planned.  You just need to open it. 

Two activities we did last year as a family as well was the advent wreath and preparing a manger for baby Jesus.

I ordered this wreath from Ann Voskamp.  Her son hand makes them so I had to wait quite a while for them but it was so worth it (there is an addition to the wreath and a figure of Christ carrying the cross for Lent).  The kids looked forward to moving Mary closer to the center of the wreath as we read about the journey to the birth of our Savior.  The taller candles are for each Advent Sunday and the little one represent the days in between.  Next to our Jesse Tree is our wooden manger with a tin of straw behind it.  Every time someone in the house displayed a loving behavior or an act of kindness without being told was able to put straw in the manger...our goal was to fill it and make it nice before Christmas.  Christmas morning we then pull out a small baby Jesus figure to put in the manger.

Prepare Him room...

I wouldn't change our Christmas traditions for anything.  It's hard yes.  We live in America where people rush out on Thanksgiving and push and shove and yell and grow selfish to get the best deals.  We grew up where Christmas is about the presents and not about the only important Gift given.  We have to be intentional and slow down.  We have to purposefully clear our schedules so that we can make room for Christ.  How do you do that though when you are a part of the Church Christmas program and the Childrens program, or apart of the drama team or Choir or the nativity scenes.  What about Christmas parties, one after another for extended family.  It's hard to be intentional but I always fall back on this question...who am I here to please...man or God? 

Prepare Him room...

My kids know now...that Christmas morning is not about the gifts under the tree but about the gift in our heart.  To help with this and limiting ourselves we do 4 gifts Christmas morning. 

1. something you want

2. something you need

3. something you wear

4. something you read

This helps us limit what we buy and it makes it equal for each kid and they know that they are only getting four gifts Christmas morning.  We also do one family gift (board games, movies, last year we took the plunge and joined the xbox families) and we still do stockings.  But they are filled in advance (like one day) so the kids know we put them there.  

Now as far as that creepy Elf on the Shelf.  I never liked the thought of it.  I didn't like the "incentive" behind it so this year I am doing "kindness kids".  I am going to buy 4 little elf or doll ornaments and every day they will move around the house with a suggestion of being kind to someone.  For example...putting one in a baking bowl with a note that says, "let's bake cookies for our neighbors today" and they will also be found around the house with notes saying, "I really enjoyed watching you make cookies for your neighbors yesterday".  Again, my kids will know it's me but I think it will be a fun addition.  This will be my first year doing this so I'll see how it goes but for those of you who do Elf on the Shelf I highly recommend looking into this tradition.  Make it Christ centered with verses!

Making your Christmas season about Christ means you have to be intentional and it's never too early to start! Get your devotional ordered and decor prepared! Find different "wreaths" of lighting candles than the one I posted...get creative! Make different Advent tags and start making your Christ centered family traditions happen.  I promise you...your kids would rather have you! 

I have had friends ask what we do for Christmas (hence this post) but there was one in particular worried about how her kids would react...if they would feel like they are missing out.  I once heard a quote about you cannot expect to have Godly children without the parents demonstrating Godliness to them.  You cannot expect your kids to seek the true wonder of Christmas unless you demonstrate that wonder.  I let my kids see me cry...every time we watch the Nativity Story (no I don't think they are too young for that), every time we read of Jesus' birth...every time the wise men bend low or the shepherd says his "gift is the hope of waiting for one!".  I let my kids see me cry when the first snow falls and keeps falling and I let them see me affected by the true mystery of a God who holds the heavens in his hands.  I let them see the awestruck wonder when I describe that this God who intricately designed me has chosen to come here, on earth, in flesh to save us!  I let them see me vulnerable and completely in awe.  Because when they see that...they realize it's real...and it's worth giving up the American Christmas for.