Another Simple Christmas Post

Yesterday, the girls cut up some old Christmas cards. They chose cards they thought were pretty, and then cut out the picture, and glued it to a piece of construction paper to make collages and Christmas cards for our neighbors. For our neighbors, we made mini loaves of homemade yeast bread, sealed them up in quart size storage bags, and attached curling ribbon, and a pretty red bow. There's nothing more simple than throwing in bread ingredients in your bread machine, pulling it out, letting it rise in your mini loaf pans, baking it, and putting it in a pretty little package!

Simple Christmas

I wanted to share some ways we keep Christmas simple around here.

Stockings

This year our children will each get a t-shirt from the Disney Store, one fun item, and snacks for our Christmas Eve movie night.

Presents

Each child receives one present from us (the parents) ranging from $20-30.

Goodies

We are going to make puppy chow, and birthday cake for Jesus. That's it. No cookies, fudge, toffee, divinity, dipped pretzels, or pies. Too much sugar weakens your immune system and I'm a firm believer that the increased intake of sugar during the holidays is a big contributor to why people get sick during their Christmas breaks.

Since Christmas of 2005, we have allowed the children to open their stockings on Christmas Eve. I make hot chocolate, and a few snacks, and we read about Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem. Sometimes we even sing some songs together as a family during this time.  This year we are still going to do all these things, but we are going to have a Christmas Eve slumber party! Our children love having slumber parties. This will include all five of us sleeping together in the living room, and watching the Charlie Brown Christmas movie (since we own it on DVD and we missed it when it was on television this year). We'll wake up Christmas morning and open our presents. Our children have received packages from friends and family, and they will open those gifts from under the tree also. 

This is our first Christmas living approximately 1,000 miles from all family. We won't be spending Christmas with any of our extended family this year. Instead of letting sadness consume us, we are choosing to make the best of our time together as a family of five, building traditions, and making memories together. 

Jingle Bells

Lottie Moon

"How many there are who imagine that because Jesus paid it all, they need pay nothing." ~ Lottie Moon

The above quote is one I found this year while reading about Lottie Moon, a missionary to China from 1873-1912. During her time as a missionary, Lottie wrote letters to the Women's Missionary Union  back in America, urging them to pray for missionaries, and to take up a special Christmas offering to help mission work all over the world. In 1918, the Women's Misisonary Union named this annual offering after the woman who encouraged them to start it. To read more about Lottie Moon and her life, you can go to the Southern Baptist's International Mission Board's Website.

I encourage you to take a moment and think about exactly what it means when we say, "Jesus paid it all." How much does your relationship with Jesus mean to you? Now, think about all the people all over the world who have never even heard the name Jesus. Pray about what you can give. Through your giving, the story of Jesus Christ can be shared where it's never been shared before.

Last year, I wrote a blog about something our family did to add to our International missions offering. Click the link below if you'd like to read it.

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering