A Simple Christmas

A friend called me in early December and asked, 

"What do you do since you don't celebrate Christmas?"

Over the last 25 years of married life, we have celebrated most holidays in pretty much every conceivable way. For Halloween, we have full blown trick or treated, visited shut-ins, gone to the nursing home (my personal favorite), harvest festivals, and ignored it altogether. Thanksgiving has seen us with others and alone, serving, visiting, family. At Christmastime, Santa came because we sprinkled reindeer food and left out cookies and milk for Dad. We've stayed up past midnight assembling and wrapping many a year which turned into a special time for my husband and I to talk and reflect. 

However, over the last five years, Christmas for our family has begun to evolve into what we hope honors the One who was born for our eternal salvation.

Honestly, some of this happened out of necessity. With an adoption, a baby, or a new kid each year, Christmas got overwhelming for me. Fast. And the excess of it all? The truth is, it depresses me while so many people on this earth don't even have clean water to drink or food to eat.

We have simplified the way we do Christmas to 

encourage a spirit of giving rather than receiving.

One year we bought our one and only flat screen TV. 

And we donated an equal amount to charities.

Last year we plopped down three $100 bills and told the kids they could do whatever they wanted but they had to all agree. 

The money bought mosquito nets for children in Mali, Africa to combat malaria.

One year we only put popcorn, cranberries, and lights on our tree.

This year, we drew names and bought a few stocking gifts. 

And that was all. 

The kids loved shopping for each other.

I would be the first to admit it has been a rugged season, for me personally, fostering three babies in three years and integrating two medically fragile children into our family while learning to simultaneously parent all ages.

Simplifying Christmas has given me margin.

We can enjoy and celebrate the true gifts that God has given us.

We were able to take time the weekend before Christmas to have biological siblings overnight and help out where no one else would. 

Overflowing gifts under the tree? That is what my friend really meant when she asked me about Christmas. What do we substitute for the "stuff"? 

For our family, I hope December has become a season of giving and remembering how blessed we are to have a Savior AND each other.

The best present of all?
Pure Joy. 

Wouldn't you agree?