Quieting Heart and Home During the Holidays When I was young, my parents celebrated the holidays very simply on the humble budget of our single-income family. We lived in a small, simple town and didn’t have a lot of extras, but there was never anything I needed that I didn’t have. My dad kept a fire burning in the wood stove to heat our home, and the love between us–my two brothers, my parents, and myself–was enough. I remember tromping…
As I write this, holiday decorations are going up all over the place. I can already feel the strain of time as I think of shopping, cooking, and finishing our schoolwork before Christmas comes. People are already asking what our plans for the holidays are, and the truth is we don’t have any. My parents are divorced, and our sisters are far flung so family celebrations are difficult to schedule and keep us pretty busy come December. Then there are…
How to Make Your December Baby Feel Special on Their Birthday December is one of the worst months to have a birthday. Everyone is so busy with Christmas and the holidays that your birthday gets lost in the shuffle. As an adult, it’s not a big deal. But as a kid, it’s crushing. I remember being so jealous of my friends. Everyone could come to their birthday-party-on-their-actual-birthday. No one tried to cheap out on their present. Friends and relatives…
If you have ever spent a small fortune you didn’t have, or have spent your Christmas Eve in crowded shopping malls looking for that perfect gift for your husband …. raise your hand! I love the Christmas season as much as anyone, but I don’t love the STRESS of all the holiday to-dos added to my already overloaded mom schedule. Between home, work, and church, I’ve got plenty on my list. BUT a few years ago, I dispensed with all…
My kids make me wait until November 1st to start the Christmas countdown…and then it’s full steam ahead! But with the Christmas creep, we’re barely over Labor Day when the retail industry has us feeling the sudden urge to start prepping and shopping for Christmas. But, wait! Don’t start shopping just yet. Christmas is the perfect excuse to declutter. Out with the old, in with the new. Prepare for the holiday shopping season with these… 6 Things to Declutter Before Christmas: …
Savor the Joy of the Christmas Season with a Festive Bucket List Soft lights twinkling in the windows, steaming cups of cocoa being passed from hand to hand, boots dripping with fresh snow piled on the welcome mat, little faces bright and rosy cheeked from romping in the cold yard. Christmas music swirling in the background while angels glisten on the evergreen tree in the corner and gold wrapped packages sit expectantly underneath. These are the little moments of the…
The holidays are a natural breeder for mom guilt. Really any busy season is but there’s something about the Thanksgiving and Christmas season that seems to grow mom guilt at an alarming rate. The number of activities available to over-commit to, the pressure to make the season magical, the financial burdens, the family gatherings, and the list goes on and on. There’s always something you will feel like you aren’t doing enough of during the holidays. There will always be…
Christmas can either be a hectic time of year, or as the classic carol says, “the most wonderful.” What is the difference between the two? How can we take hold of its joy? The one word answer is worship. In the midst of decorating, baking, wrapping presents, and more, we can have a heart stilled and grateful over our Savior’s love – that He left the grand courts of heaven to come to us and make us His own.…
Some traditions begin on a whim, and yet in their simplicity, they become a profound bedrock of family celebrations, rich in meaning and steeped in value. And it’s not until we’re given a glimpse backward that we realize how they’ve imprinted faith on our hearts and grounded us in hope for the future. I remember it began early in our marriage, with a simple “baby’s first Christmas” ornament, hung on a short, barren tree, between a few golden baubles. Like…
There is nothing like seeing the wonder in a child’s eyes during the holiday season. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! As children grow up, however, that wonder seems to fade; the holidays no longer seem as magical as they once were. My pre-teen daughter confirmed that recently when she said forlornly, “The holidays aren’t as exciting as they were when I was younger.” This year, I’m on a mission to bring the wonder back to…