For Future Traci (How We Did Christmas)

Posted by Traci at 9:04 PM

I am writing this post because I have a terrible memory.  I know that around the end of November next year I will try to remember what we did for Christmas and I won’t be able to.  Also, the toddler invasion will be in full swing by then and I will probably be lucky if I remember how to spell my name.  So, future Traci (ends with an “i” not a “y”) – here’s what I was thinking way back in December 2011...

I’ve been putting a lot of thought into how we’re going to “do Santa” this year.  I’ve read about a million blogs and have seen some great ideas.  Here’s a few: 2011 Advent Calendar from Focus, Advent tradition ideas, advent straw manger,  kid friendly nativity sets, some "magical Christmas" ideas from the impress your kids blog, some fun activites from the mud pie makers blog, and "Santa Strategically" by Jen Wilkin.

Hopefully I’ll post pictures of what we actually ended up doing, but let’s just say it was a lot more than I ever thought I would do.  (Confession – we didn’t have a tree this year, yes I know that’s terrible but we just moved!  Ok well there may have been other years without a tree as well but..we'll have one next year I promise).

 

Anyway I was driving around the other day wondering if I’m crazy.  Why did I go to all this trouble to "celebrate Jesus" when I didn't even put up a tree?  Why are so many people taking a step back from the traditional Christmas?  Wasn’t our childhood awesome?  What the heck is wrong with a little Rudolph?  Then this verse immediately came to my mind:

“Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates”  Deuteronomy 11:19-20

Doesn’t that seem a little obsessive, or a lot obsessive?  When you get up, when you lay down, when you walk, when you talk, when you sit, when you play xbox, when you're eating grape nuts, etc.  That’s pretty much all the time.  I mean, everyone I know agrees in theory (and at Bible study) that we should do this but how many of us believe it enough to actually do it?  And why should we, really?

Then it hit me – as Christians we are living in enemy territory.  We are surrounded by hostile natives.  The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 2 that we are pilgrims here, constantly fighting off the prince of this earth.  And for reasons I don’t understand, the majority of the war we fight isn’t physical (see post about Nehemiah's battle) but mental.  


A good friend was telling me about her childhood growing up on the border between two very hostile middle eastern countries.  Even though she was born in one country, her people were considered a citizen of neither due to their close proximty to the other country.  Only when an outside government pressured her country of birth was her family granted the visas needed to leave.  They can never go back.  


Sounds extreme, but If I could peel back the curtain between the two realms we inhabit, I would see my family is in a very similar situation.  The bible says the enemy is all around, literally stalking Christians, waiting to devour us.  But one time a year, incredibly, crazily, this world celebrates its conqueror, our victor.  How can I not take advantage of that??

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a little Rudolph.  But I want our home and minds and activities to be filled with the message that Jesus Christ came to earth 2000 years ago.  If a Grinch that stole Christmas slips in after our advent candle lighting then great.  But don’t skip the candle.  Peace on earth, men of goodwill.