Stuff that we're going to have to put in our homes and deal with and manage and garage sale and complain about and purge and clean and dust and take care of as the days pass.
So it got me thinking - what do I want my kids to really know about Christmas? And because I started thinking that led to me making a list for my kids. Which I'm sharing with you today.
1. In our house, Christmas is about Jesus. That first. The rest follows.
2. The stuff goes away. Relationships do not.
3. Always smile and at least thank the Bell Ringer at the store. Do not look away. Gather change beforehand to give.
4. Take time to slow down and appreciate the little things. #littlethingsmatter
5. Always say "thank you" to those working at the stores. And look them in the eye. And smile.
6. A handwritten note is always worth the effort.
7. Family matters. Take time to learn about family. To invest in family. To love.
8. Better to be less busy than to be crazy busy
9. The number of presents received does not matter.
10. Baking makes a mess. It also makes memories.
11. It's okay if the bottom of the tree is full of ornaments. Someday it will look perfect.
12. Christmas music should only be played after Thanksgiving until New Year's Day. (haha - my own silly rule.)
13. Traditions matter. Establish them. But always allow room for new traditions.
14. Even if life isn't perfect there still can be beautiful and joyful moments.
15. Give to others first. And giving back isn't just a December thing - make it a year long thing.
16. Sometimes the Christmas tree falls over. Fact. Just pick it up and try again.
17. Smile. Smile. Smile. And give others grace.
18. Cultivate and celebrate the spirit of wonder in little kids.
19. If other kids believe in Santa Claus and you don't - don't ruin it for them.
20. Always buy your wrapping paper after Christmas when it's 70% off at Target.
21. You won't get everything you want. Be grateful for what you are blessed to receive.
22. Write a Christmas list. Save your list. Someday you'll enjoy looking back at them.
23. Take time to listen to others and to learn their stories. So really, just slow down.
24. You can say "Merry Christmas" to others even if they just say "Happy Holidays" to you.
25. Be grateful. Be thankful. Love your family. And remember why you celebrate Christmas.
It's not about stuff. When we lose focus then this Christmas season has the potential to become this crazy hectic want to pull our hair out month where we breathe the sigh of relief that it is January. And you know what else? Remember number fourteen - even if life isn't perfect or what you expect or all of that - there can still be good and joy. It's the little things. Look for the joy, the good, the wonder, and all of that first.
What's on your list?
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41 comments:
Of course you can listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving ;P
I love your list. I had to laugh about your no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving; especially since our discussions for the last couple of weeks has been that we should be listening to some Christmas music all year long.
Hahah! Yes, about Christmas music. I just had to add that one as that's a silly rule of mine. :)
Rachel
I love it all so much. My favorite was about baking and making a mess--but also memories. That is what I remember about the holidays growing up. My daughters and I enjoy it together now--messes and memories and taste-testing.
You are such a lovely soul. I am grateful for you.
1. I think you can always listen to Christmas music.
2. To me, Christmas is about Family and friends first, religion and all that second. Regardless of what my friends and family believe, they are my family before, during and after anything else...
Yeah, I agree about the Christmas music. It's just my own silly rule. I can only handle it so long! :)
Thanks, Mike. :)
rachel
Lovely sentiments I'm looking forward to sharing with my family. Did you know your non-religious readers agree with 24 out of 25? Our differences are virtually non-existent. Merry Christmas to you.
Very nice! Inspires me to make a list for my family. Thanks!
Beautiful and thoughtful. We celebrate YULE in our household as well as the spirit of Christmas so to speak year round.
If we listen to sacred Christmas music during the season of Advent/Christmas we listen from just after Thanksgiving until mid-January. And that's just right. :)
Thank you all for your comments. And I really appreciate the anonymous comment about religion - it's a cool blessing for me to hear from you. Thank you. :)
Rachel
Lovely...
I'm with you on the Christmas music. It's great, but after a while some of those songs that get in heavy rotation on the radio start to grind on my nerves :-) We have the exact same Christmas music listening rule in our house!
These are all nice...except for saying Merry Christmas to everyone even if they say happy holidays to you. You should teach your children that there are all sorts of people out there. Not everyone celebrates Christmas and that is ok. Diversity is ok. People say happy holidays because they want to wish you a happy YOUR holiday; not THEIR holiday. Teach your kids to acknowledge and respect diversity and the differences amongst people.
Merry CHRISTmas!
Beautiful list. Love these reminders. Thank you, Rachel! Oh but I disagree about Christmas music! I am one of those that loves it year-round! haha!
I love that we can say all sorts of different beautiful sayings to each other - which is why I want my children to be able to say "Merry Christmas." I think that they should be blessed to receive and hear many other greetings from others as well. That's all. :)
With joy.
Rachel
Everyone wishing everyone else "Happy Holidays" would rob us all of the celebration of diversity. I would be as delighted to be wished "Happy Hannukah" as I would hope my wisher would be to hear "Merry Christmas". No offense is ever meant by well-wishing. And doesn't it get tiresome living in the land of the chronically offended?
I miss Buffy! She knocked over the tree a few years ago. And it's sad when you almost feel like you should apologize for celebrating Christmas!
Keep your eyes on the Lord! Praying!
Psalms 62:1-2 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
My email address
"the chronically offended" LOVE it!! Right up there with "politically correct"
CHRISTmas is just that. If people decide to celebrate it for other reasons that is their business, but the true meaning of CHRISTmas is to celebrate Christ's birth. Other than that what is there? New Years? On New Years Day/Eve we say "Happy New Years" I used to be one to say "Happy Holidays" and it was mostly to include Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years and was reserved for friends I may not see often.
After Thanksgiving it is "Merry Christmas" all the way!
Great post!
liz
Well said liz!
Lame... wonder how many babies jesus will send to hell this holiday season. Opps, I mean Christmas season.
What a wonderful list! I'm so glad you posted it. Love the photos too! There is a lot of meaning to Christmas but we just need to refocus ourselves back to why it was originally established. Only then will we be humbled enough by sacrifices made, love spent then won, and grace pour out for all. Thanks to a Little Babe. Wonderful!--Deb (DialMforMoms.com)
You sir just do not understand how Jesus and the Bible work. Everything happens for a reason and even a baby can be a sinner. Maybe it is time for you to grow up and start worshiping the lord and savior. You are a sad person I am sure of that.
I love having the same outlook as you Rachael. This post is right on target and perfect. Thank you for making sure we all stop and see what really matters. Oh and yes, Holiday music as soon as November starts and until New Year. Always in our home also :)
we have the same rule, no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. And Christmas movies are only allowed starting on Thanksgiving night. we put up our Christmas tree in the decorations is it the day after Thanksgiving nothing before.
Love #12!!!!! It is on my list, as well! You go, girl! :-)
I do prefer Happy Holidays. Most of the list resonates with me except #1- most of my traditions are rooted in pagan traditions that became adopted into Christianity- I celebrate a little more holistically. And no wish lists in my house. You are not placing an order. We make lists of what we plan to give, not what we hope to get. Removing that expectation makes every gift special and appreciated as something someone else chose to give you. If someone asks my son what he would like, it is Ok for him to give them some ideas, but I also work to keep him in perspective of what is reasonable to ask for.
To Mike Roberts - who said "To me, Christmas is about Family and friends first, religion and all that second. Regardless of what my friends and family believe, they are my family before, during and after anything else..."
I'd personally argue that Christmas is about CHRIST first, because with, without, regarless of beliefs, CHRIST is still my savior before during and after anything else. That's the one thing I can always trust in. And I absolutely enjoy celebrating with family and friends of different backgrounds, but as an individual my focus of the day is still Jesus. So MERRY CHRISTMAS! Don't water it down.
So loved this list! I am saving it to pass it on to my 22 yo daughter. If I could go back, I would change a lot of things, but really, we did okay. This year, I would like to focus gifts on acts of service, in honor of Jesus' birthday. Another bit of advice I would give is don't work so hard on trying to get it perfect.
I just wanted to stop by and thank you for your posts! Your style of writing is so refreshingly inspiring and creative. I love Hannah's style and was happy to find your blog - now I know who she must get a lot of inspiration from. =) Thank you for sharing your gift of writing with us and I hope you are having a blessed day, rejoicing in our Savior!
My purse was stolen while on family vacation a few years ago. It had all our money for the trip, credit cards, drivers license, camera with photos I hadn't downloaded yet ... you get the picture. I was heartbroken, but in the moment I was so grateful that my family was safe and only my purse had been stolen. No one was hurt. No one was in danger. I turned to my kids and said it's just stuff. My daughter had recently had her wallet stolen so she knew how it felt. She kept looking at me like "really, how are you not upset?" But by the end of the evening (after a couple of hours in the police department), she got it -- it's just stuff and family is what matters.
Thank you. In a way I don't like Christmas. Such high expectations, so much to do and not much time to do it all. I'm missing loved ones that are no longer with us.i am bombarded with mail and emails. It's hard to fight it all and try to stay focused on what really is important.
All the comments and perspectives are eye opening to me. Thank you all for sharing them. The idea has occurred to me that when someone wishes a Happy Holiday, how nice it would be to slow down and ask them what they are celebrating in this season. Reiterating that relationships are high in importance at this time of year and year round. I also really like the idea from an anonymous commenter of "giving" lists rather than wish lists! I have wrestled annually with the conundrum that is created during the Christmas season regarding how to create the best experience for my family and not lose sight of the truths of Christmas I hold dear. Your list hits the high points for me too! Thanks for the encouragement.
thanks i get some new ideas for plan my Christmas in mobile app and images are so beautiful
Hi Rachel. I just "discovered " your blog and I'm so excited about this post. I feel like you can read my mind . We also invented a new tradition in our house for this year. From 1 to 25 December all the family we are doing something good every day and we post it to our blog. We call it Christmas Love Calendar .Just simple we are getting closer to the real Christmas spirit. I'm so happy found your blog. Merry Christmas from Crete (Greece)
Save. Save. Save with the helping of some Christmas saving apps.
Trolling?
Where's your holiday spirit Scrooge?
lul
Seriously people why do christians need to say happy holidays to others who don't celebrate merry christmas because we might offend them? What about those people we could turn around and say that they offend us by saying happy holidays its absolutely ridiculous snd I'm so tired of hearing about how its offending people.
Love these! I'm doing something similar...on facebook, I'm posting a daily suggestion, something I'm doing (and others can do) to keep the true meaning of Christmas big in my heart. Just small, simple things of outreach - something new every day until Christmas. I have to remind MYSELF that it's not about all the chaos! Come visit me, if you'd like:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adventures-in-the-Ballpark-Mare-Ball/394038163950377?ref=hl
You can 'like' the page, and see how the month ends! I don't know myself yet. I'm challenging myself to find ways to give. :-)
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