Christmas is a special time for everyone…even for the Grinch and Scrooge because technically it’s the season their hearts grew 3 sizes too big and learned the joy of living and giving. This year looks a little or a lot different for everyone, but it’s still Christmas and everyone is still celebrating.
At the end of November, I bought an Advent book for the girls. I wanted to make sure our hearts were ready to celebrate Christmas. I wanted to make sure the true meaning of Christmas was not overlooked in our house. That all the girls know the baby in Mary’s arm of the Willow Tree nativity set is the reason we are making a fuss this time of year.
In this Advent book, it goes through the characters, the settings, and the objects in the Christmas story. We learned about Mary and Joseph, Zecharias and John the Baptist, Bethlehem, the Holy Spirit, shepherds, and angels (and how they are not really “angelic” as referred to as today…why do you think everyone was scared when they first saw them?). Yes, Christmas is about Jesus. But when we were reading about John the Baptist, I realized what Advent is all about. John the Baptist was sent from God to prepare the way for Jesus; to tell everyone to “repent because the Messiah is here.” The Advent season is to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Prepare them so on Christmas Day we can celebrate Jesus, God’s gift to a world in need of a Saviour. And prepare our hearts so we are willing and able to accept the gift.
This Advent book also has activities to do with the kids. I would love to say that we do these activities because I am a super cool and organized mom. I am not. I am not an arts and craft kind of mom either. My idea of arts & crafts is dumping three different colors of paint on a paper plate, filling a cup up with water, handing the kids paint brushes and letting them do whatever on a piece of paper while I walk away to clean the bathroom or make dinner or help someone else with their schoolwork. (Sometimes this is a peaceful way to distract little ones…sometimes, the paper gets full and they paint their arms and a bath is required afterwards. Regardless, it keeps them busy for a few moments.).
I am a read aloud mom. Ever since “2020” happened, I have been picking up books and reading to the girls. Half of them run around while I am reading but the other 2.5 sit and listen and beg me to read more. We are also celebrating the Advent by reading too. There are so many Christmas books and stories I never heard of. I have bought a few Christmas books on impulse. (And when my in-laws ask what I want for Christmas….I told them children’s picture books. I honestly never saw that coming, but hey, it could be a weirder addiction). Amazon delivered the illustrated “It’s a Wonderful Life” book (one of those impulse buys). It is one of my mom’s favorite movies. My brother makes good Jimmy Steward/George Bailey impersonations and I constantly think “Why do we have to all these kids!” (haha!) Anyways, the girls love the story. I read it to them at least twice yesterday. And they are looking forward to watching it and I think they will be able follow along because they will know what is happening. However, Lilly looked a little disappointed when she found out it is an “old-time b&w” movie.
Another favorite is a Christmas collection by Tomie dePaola. The illustrations are beautiful and colorful, and the stories are folktales and legends retold. This isn't a blog post about all the books we read…but one more. Molly & Maggie love Frozen. So they obviously love Olaf’s Night Before Christmas. Molly gets so upset that Olaf thinks Santa is Kristoff. She points and yells, “No! That’s Santa!” We read “Olaf” anytime I read anything else because Maggie demands it.
I just spent three paragraphs telling you that I love reading to my kids. Not really sure why. But I am thankful I have found something I enjoy, my kids look forward to, and a way we can spend time together. And I am glad I am using what we love to celebrate Christmas. Yes, we’re making cookies. Yes, we decorated the house. Yes, the girls have matching pjs. But we don’t have lots of lights on our house. We haven’t gone to see anyone else’s lights either. And we obviously haven’t done any Christmas arts and crafts. But it is still Christmas. It is still the time we are preparing our hearts to really reflect on what this time is all about. So no matter how you do that, I hope you are enjoying the “what and how” and not wishing for “this or that.”
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11
Merry Christmas, everyone!!!
