Celebrating Christmas All December Long

In our house, Christmas is a month long celebration.

Such a wonderful event as the miraculous birth of our savior deserves it. To pull off an entire month of Christmas cheer, we have to have a plan. The plan involves these things: home, family and friends. And these all revolve around the birth of Christ.

Home

The weekend of Thanksgiving always means throwing out the pumpkins and bringing out the lights and wreaths. We might not get the Christmas tree that weekend, but the Christmas music blares and we start decking the halls of our home.

As we place the nativity on the mantle and wrap the tree with lights, we remind the kids that we need to decorate our home with love and care. We are decorating it for a celebration! The kids love a party atmosphere and the idea that they are doing something that pleases the Lord.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,” Colossians 3:23

Family

Christmastime can be crazy. There are so many fun events and activities to try and fit into the calendar. Sadly, not all of them will. We have to make a determination as a family what events are important and which ones will get in the way of our family time and our focus on Christ. As fun as this season can be, it can also get too busy. We intentionally plan family down time along with our events, so we don’t get the Christmas burn out. I don’t want my children’s memories of Christmas being a blur.

During our planned family times, we like to drink hot chocolate, watch Christmas movies, read Christmas stories and talk about Christmases of the past. We try and keep the focus on making memories and the birth of Christ.

Friends

Since the house is already decked out, we might as well have some people over to actually see it! I love to have the house full of family and friends. Christmas is a great excuse to throw a party or to have friends over for dinner or dessert. The kids can run and play. The adults can relax and laugh. We try to keep one weekend night free throughout the holidays to invite people over. It’s a great way to share our home and share our faith. It’s a something we should practice throughout the year.

How do you keep from getting too busy and losing focus on Christ during the crazy holiday season?

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Marci is a Christian wife, homeschool mom, science geek, softball coach, ice rink mom and blogger, who needs her morning coffee, hair done and make-up on before attempting of those things. You can find her blogging at The Homeschool Scientist and at Overcoming Busy.

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Thanks to UltimateHomeschoolExpo.com for sponsoring the Keeping Christ in Christmas series on Life by Ashley Pichea during December 2012. Be sure to check out the latest expo, Homeschooling & the Holidays, for joyful holidays and stress buster solutions!