Although the holidays are coming, at this point they’re still on tiptoe. There’s time to consider what is important about our celebrations this year – and what we can leave behind.
Home is the base for those celebrations that build our family identity and our traditions and values. We want them to be the best. We want the turkey succulent, hearts thankful, and the talking so good we nearly forget there’s football on TV.
For Christmas, even more than Santa’s making good guesses, we want to be generous with one another – on many levels – and to capture the wonder of the Christmas story: A virgin gives birth. Three wise men follow a star to a manger. How can we allow the majesty of this to share billing with Frosty the Snowman? Where is the wonder? Can we see it, and find ways to bring it home?
Here is my best pass at that quest, as I shared with women at First Baptist Church of McKinney (TX) Sunday night:
- Talk with your family about their hopes and expectation for the holidays this year. What was the best and worst last year?
- Review your holiday traditions: Have you outgrown some? Are others so bright they warrant some polish?
- Prepare spiritually for Christmas by observing Advent as a sacred season of preparation – individually, and as a family with children at home.
- Consider how to creatively communicate the Christmas story to children, uncovering it from our culture’s hollow seasonal trappings.
- Plan, dream, pray about the holiday celebrations, then go over your plans with an eraser to create breathing room around the best things.
May our homes be filled with warmth and love and wonder in the weeks ahead.
With Lynn Quernemoen at First Baptist of McKinney
Thank you! This was such a good list to help us keep our priorities in line!
I teach part-time at a Christian HS in the area of Family & Consumer Science (home economics). My one class is called Independent Living, and I wanted to let you know that I use some of the MOPS DVD from Dwelling when I teach my housing unit! I just love that book!!!!
We also talk about managing our time and keeping our priorities in order, (It could be that these are some of the main intrests in my own life).
With all this said, I was excited to see that you have a blog and I love learning from you!!
Kim, I took you for a kindred spirit immediately and have had the pleasure of visiting your blog. What a beautiful job you’re doing of creating a well-lived home, and teaching the joy of that. I would love to share your idea of taking food and Christmas decorations to your friend to help welcome her to the area as an idea for how people could use Once-A-Month Cooking. Mimi and I love to share Give a Meal ideas. Is this okay with you? So glad to meet you, Kim.
That would be awesome! Especially since I’m always looking for new meal ideas and ways to bless others with food!
My dear Mary Beth,
share some fun “turkey facts” somewhere in between preparing the goodies for the feast and playing a board game after the meal. I remember your words about the importance of being “intentional”; I just hope I’m not overdoing it 
Happy Thanksgiving, dear friend!
It is always such a delight to read and see what you are up to!
I love the glimpses into your wonderful family. As you know, for the first time in years, Perry and I are hosting Thanksgiving at our home in Vero. I am so excited! Here are some things we hope to do: Have family and friends bring “old” family pictures so we can reminisce about our past and relive fond memories. Write scripture verses on 3X5 cards and have one at each place setting, which each guest will read prior to the meal.(A tradition started by our friend Randy in Thomasville, GA.) Have our daughter share an essay written in high school in CT about the memories around the table from which we will be gathering, hand refinished by her grandfather. And, last but not least
Oh, dear friend, surely this will one of the most special Thanksgiving memories for all who are there. Let me know how it goes!