Just sit in the car with your teenage boys and turn on the radio after Thanksgiving. Their favorite radio stations are now playing Christmas music - 24/7. Interspersed between the Rudolph songs, you get to hear "Oh Holy Night" and "What Child is This?" Too fun. Walk in the stores and look and listen. Amidst the Santa Claus and reindeer displays, there ARE nativities. Listen to the music playing in the background. Even CHRISTmas trees speak His name. Christ is everywhere. They try to erase Him but the honest truth - they can't. You can't erase the Creator of the Universe. He will NOT be silenced. Look around and prove me wrong. It's the best kept secret out there - We win. God wins.
So I LOVE this season. No matter how hard they try to erase the fact that Jesus came, Jesus died, Jesus rose again - it is never enough. They lose. Truth prevails.
Since God wins - there is no guilt about Christmas for me..... I get to enjoy this time - I get to Celebrate! I get to LOVE the very best parts of Christmas.
- I love decorating our Christmas tree.
- I love putting the nativity on the mantle and putting lights around it (LED lights drive me crazy though - the white lights are NOT white - Thank you very much!).
- I love driving at night and seeing all the decorated houses.
- I love the music.
- I love buying my kids gifts. (I don't love wrapping presents though!)
- I love opening presents on Christmas morning.
- I love watching Rob enjoy all the candy in his stocking!
- I love the Salvation Army bell ringers and I love putting money in their pots.
- I love Christmas pageants and singing the carols at church.
- I love watching The Grinch That Stole Christmas (animated version NOT the movie) and I LOVE Charlie Brown's Christmas (although I missed it this year).
- I love that Linus tells it straight - "And there were shepherds..."
- I love Operation Christmas Child.
- I love our Advent Nativity calendar that we have had since Ben was a toddler - I love that on Christmas morning we read "The Story" and we put baby Jesus in the manger on the calendar.
- I love Christmas caroling.
- I love baking cookies and giving them out to everyone on our road.
- I love the big family gathering with Rob's family every year. I especially love the time of singing and worship.
- I love getting Christmas cards in the mail.
- I love sending out our Christmas picture every year. I especially love that Aaron is on our Christmas picture this year!
- I love that in the midst of the world's vain attempts to erase the reality of God coming in the flesh - I love that in our home - in our family - we get to celebrate the Truth. We get to enjoy the holiday in its entirety. We get the last laugh. Christmas is truly about Christ.
Yep - I LOVE Christmas. Celebration. Wonder. Worship. Awe. God became flesh and lived among us.
Come on... Celebrate with me!!!
Isaiah 9:6-7
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
I looooove Christmas, and am really missing it over here, it's no where to be found... soak it up and love it for me, will ya?
ReplyDeleteLOVE LOVE LOVE!
ReplyDeleteThat was beautiful, Julia! I feel the same way about Christmas. Being here in Niger it's even better, because there is no Santa Claus and reindeer. We can celebrate the real meaning of Christmas without distraction.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE LOVE LOVE that Aaron is hearing the true meaning of Christmas, and that growing up in your family he will have the chance to know and love our Savior! When I was praying for a family for Aaron last year one thing that God really impressed on me was that Aaron has the potential to be a mighty man of God. I prayed for a Christian family for him, one that would teach him about Jesus. How beautiful it is to see that answer to prayer in the life of your precious son.
I love this post. I can picture you doing each and every thing you listed. I love that love wins and the world can't change that no matter what!! Have a wonderful Sunday!
ReplyDeleteLove wins,
Renee Tam
5cajuns.blogspot.com
Thrilled to hear about Gavin and Brady!!!!! We feel the same way about Christmas! Sure will miss the family at home, but David and I will have a little gift to enjoy tomorrow. We open our present early. Hope she likes us :)
ReplyDeleteWell said! I LOVE it too...How blessed we are to have family to share HIS love with! - Margie
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written, well said! Merry Christmas!!! :)
ReplyDeleteYou have hit the nail right on the head with your list Julia. I love Christmas for those same reasons. We too have the best gift that we could have gotten... we have our little Timothy with us. He might not really understand everything but I'm so excited to share it all with him and see how he takes it all in. God is so GOOD!!
ReplyDeleteI am going caroling and cookie baking with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited. AHHHHH!
ReplyDeleteJulia,
ReplyDeleteI have found you!!!! Yesterday, Alyona and I looked your comment up on my blog trying to find a way to email you. Maybe it was there, but I couldn't see it. I was a bit distracted while looking.
Well, I see that you and I are kindred spirits. You write, you love orphans. You write very well, and I would love to hear more about your curriculum!
Well, Alyona is the one who told me about that orphanage. Yesterday, her husband, Slavik, sat down with me and told me all about that orphanage and asked me to please spread the word about those boys. They are planning on going soon, and they want to raise support for them. They are hoping to plan a permanent team that goes there on some kind of regular basis. It's all because of you. When we looked up your comment Alyona said, "Yes! That's the woman who told us about those boys!" I have to say, this is really amazing. God is answering your prayers.
My email is: manymusic@gmail.com
I have already given Slavik and Alyona some money for that orphanage, and I will be giving them some more. So, it has begun.
Oh, I just see your email address. I'll copy this to there, also.
Amazing!
Wonderfully said....I "thank God" for giving you the talent to write.
ReplyDeletewonderful list, thank you so much for sharing your wonder and love for Christ and the celebration of his birth! I love your nativity on the mantle btw, and I agree about LED lights, they hurt my eyes ^_^
ReplyDelete