Over AT THE WELL, the ladies are all giddy and celebrating! Now that Thanksgiving is over, the excitement of the next holiday has everyone laughing and rejoicing. The hustle and bustle of the CHRISTmas Season is upon us.- The shopping lists
- The gift wrapping
- The card writing
- The baking
- The concerts
- The parties
- The decorating
(~Hit the PAUSE button~)
Ok, right here is where we pause and rewind the tape. Remember how I said the ladies over At The Well are all laughing and rejoicing...
For some of us, the "to-do" lists are just too long.
The expectations are just too much.
All of the gifts cost too much money.
It doesn't take long for any of us to cash in that laughter and rejoicing for grumbling, complaining and an attitude of "I'll be glad when it's over!"
What has happened to the simplicity of Christmas?
(hit the PLAY button now....)
3 words...THE MALL, CREDIT CARDS and SALES ADS
The hustle and bustle has robbed us of our joy. We have forgotten that the beauty and the joy of giving is as simple as a wooden stable.
The greatest gift of all is Jesus Christ.
He is the reason we celebrate Christmas.
Think about that first Christmas...
- there was no fuss - just hay!
- there was no feast, there was no worry, no complaining.
- Only love.
- Only joy.
- Only peace.
The wisemen brought gifts.
Three gifts for baby Jesus.
The simplicity of love, joy and peace was wrapped in the manger not wrapped under a tree.
If you are looking for ways to put the "Mary" back into your Christmas...
- I suggest "love"
- I suggest "joy"
- I suggest "peace"
These are three things that can make our Christmas have meaning!
I suggest "simplicity"
MATTHEW 2:11b "And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
Three gifts were brought to baby Jesus. In our house, we express our love towards our children with 3 gifts at Christmas.
If it was good enough for a King,
it is good enough for our children.
What are some ways that you keep the "Mary" in your Christmas? Why not share your ideas with us and post your link in Mr. Linky over at TRACY'S, so we can all be blessed by your ideas. Be sure to check out everyone's chatter about today's topic.
yes ma'am its that time of the year again, one of my favorite. Stop by and pick up your award. I love what you do here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the lovely words about Searching for Spice. I'm so glad you enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
A prisoner of hope,
Megan
Beautifully and simply put, Laurie!
ReplyDeleteI remember a former pastor saying that they did the 3 gifts for their children also. Needless to say, we are not one of those families. I know our limits on what we can spend, how much we can take on during this season and when to say "stop".
I love this time of year! It puts a smile on my face from Thanksgiving until New Years...just love the holidays!
My way to combat the "grumbles" is to get it done early and coast the rest of the way till Christmas.
Love you!
Jenn
Oh, perfectly stated. Simplicity. Love it. Nuff said!
ReplyDeleteI love your point about the first christmas, it really brings the real meaning of Christmas home to me!
ReplyDeleteThanks, lovely post.
Merry Christmas!
A breath of fresh air! I loved your post, Laurie. I especially love that you wrote, "The simplicity of love, joy and peace was wrapped in the manger not wrapped under a tree." Amen!
ReplyDeleteahhhh yes...there wasn't a mall, no credit cards, the only noise was that of the animals in the barn...
ReplyDeleteahhhh yes...what a fabulous post!
peace Laurie!
lori
I really enjoyed this post! It's easy to get caught up and forget why we celebrate.
ReplyDeleteWhen we focus on that first Christmas, it makes today's Christmas season much more simpler. Thank you for that reminder.
ReplyDeleteGreat post to awaken our hearts to simplicity. Thanks for being a blessing.
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts! Thanks for the reminder that Christmas is about simplicity, the simplicity of a baby in a manger. Oh, how thankful I am for that baby!
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've heard of the three gifts--neat idea!!
ReplyDeleteWe do the same thing-3 gifts for each child. I also try to keep the total for all three gifts under $100.
ReplyDeleteThis was very amazing,thank you Laurie. I like the gifts of joy,peace,and love.
ReplyDeleteI really like the 3 gift idea too. I cannot wait to teach Daniel all about Christ,all year long. Christmas is just special to me.