Christmas....How Do You Celebrate?

Different Responses..................

Christmas hasn't changed, it's all about what you want it to be.. We still bake for family and friends; they love our homemade gifts and the kids are delighted with their reaction. We make an advent wreath for the 1st Sunday in Advent and light it every day, with an appropriate prayer; the kids are in the Christmas pageant at church; we buy gifts for children in a shelter. We craft gifts for teachers and friends. We make ornaments of seeds, fruit, suet and peanut butter and decorate the trees for the birds and squirrels. We have a Christmas tree, lots of presents and the whole Santa thing, but the kids know there is a lot more to Christmas than Santa. Christmas is an excellent chance to reinforce the Christian lessons we teach all year.

========================

Why can't we have Christmas like years ago. What happened to the celebration of our Lord's Birthday? What happened to baking gifts for family and friends? All Xmas is today is stress and how much money can we spend. How many presents do I have under the tree!!!!

========================

Christmas , like Easter are two holidays that are what you make of them. several years ago I started a tradition of my own,for Christmas I had a tree trimming party. For years when I was growing up I saw the mess and the stress and arguments,and so on before the holidays, no one seemed to enjoy any thing of the season.When I moved away from home, I started the tradition,because to me the season meant many things to many people, so I would hand make the invitations, send them to every one I knew, all the neighbors friends, family even the post man the delivery persons and so on. The thing all of them had to do was bring a dish for the pot luck, a trim for the tree, and their family,friends and come to my house on the Saturday before Christmas. I spent a full week making baked goods,candy,and stockings for the children and small gifts to put in the stockings, from craft sticks,clothespins,pine cones, ect.Of course a little candy, usually home made.I have had people tell me that they looked forward to my next parties, and some even started their own.It wasn't the gifts they received when they left that made it notable, it was the idea that they all trimmed the tree together, some even checking out the balance and so on of the ornaments and lights, but most of all it was the sharing the laughing,and a stress buster, with no alcohol. It put everyone in the mood for the Holiday,and they all made new friends. And through the course of the years many made the ornaments for the tree. For me I always thought of Christmas as a time for sharing,not arguing. A time for laughing, not yelling, and giving gifts from the heart ,not how much money you can or cannot spend.I received a musical rendition of green sleeves from a friend of mine one tree party,she played the flute, and her husband cried. it was very moving, and all the others present were moved. That is celebrating a holiday.

=======================

Please add your story....Merry Christmas!!

Posted via email from Kleerstreem's Posterous