You may have noticed that this week’s posts all fall under the same theme. This month’s theme is a week of Christmas prep. To be completely honest I don’t have a great deal of experience in this area.
In the past I have dreaded the end of October because that meant that the holiday season was upon us. My prep for the holiday season has looked markedly different from most people. Rather than being a time of thanksgiving and celebration, more often than not Christmas was just another day of fighting and forced smiles.
Proverbs 17:1 says, “Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.” That was how I felt about holidays. During my childhood family Christmas was usually a disaster. We drove to a relative’s house and tried (in vain) to pretend that our family wasn’t broken. These mandatory performances left me feeling dirty and fake. The lines we carefully rehearsed ahead of time were never quite convincing enough. It got to the point where I didn’t even want to attend family events. It was easier to celebrate with just my younger sister than it was to endure the awkward silences of people who didn’t know what to say to say about the latest scandal my family had caused.
This year is different.
I no longer have to hide my faults.
I no longer have to pretend to have it all together.
No, my family has not changed. Yes, the same scandals and gossip that left scars in the past are still occurring. So what has changed?
This is my first holiday season with Christ as the center of my life.
I no longer have to hide my faults; Jesus Christ paid the price for my sins.
I no longer have to pretend to have it all together, Christ has everything I miss.
Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, our savior. Christmas prep in my mind has a lot more to do with your attitude than it does with lights, presents, and Santa Clause. So yes, recipies are important. Planning for family to come into town is stressful. But we need to be diligent in keeping Christ the focus of Christmas.
Essential Traditions/Real Food Real Frugal 
So very true – I’ve had to come to the same conclusion and we’ve also removed ourselves from some family gatherings to reduce the stress – our children don’t need that and it’s making Christmas very much a time of preparing for Him. I’ve also given you the Liebster Award if you don’t mind – I blogged about it here: http://growingforchrist.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/liebster-award/