Christmas Plans

Christmas is coming. I am not one of those people who gripes about Christmas displays in July. I like to plan for Christmas all year round. Christmas and Easter offer times to really immerse yourself in the miracle of God's personal love and attention. It is a powerful opportunity to make every moment a moment of worship and service. I love rituals and I tend to turn any successful idea into a ritual, as a result we have a lot of ready-made Christmas joy to draw on. I'll certainly be looking to select a theme and personalize this particular Christmas, but here are some of the rituals we use to make each Christmas part of the eternal Christmas.
Christmas Adam The day before Christmas Eve is a day of cleaning and preparation. We let go of all the normal concerns that fill up our days and instead focus on the coming blessings. I like to think of it as serving the same kind of purpose the cleaning of leaven out of Jewish homes during the Passover Celebration serves. Our home is transformed into a holy space where God can meet us and bless our time together.
Christmas Eve Boxes A few years ago I bought a set of nesting boxes with a Christmas print on them. We use them to keep the kids busy and on track on Christmas Eve. We start in the morning with something related to breakfast. We've had McDonald's gift certificates, muffin mix and a coupon from Pop-pop for french toast. Then we take care of getting ready for the day with some new toothbrushes and flavored dental floss. The next box is usually a craft that they can make to give to grandparents, and other guests, or that focuses attention on the real meaning of Christmas. Then there is a ticket to lunch or a baking class. We usually have a new Christmas video to watch in one of them. Last year, I made costumes for all the kids and we put together a Christmas play. Toward the end the box becomes about the Christmas story and our family tradition of singing carols and telling family stories about Christmas' past. The last box is always pajamas and bubble bath. I try to sneak a little something in that is surprising. One year I bought PJ's for everyone in the family, grandparents, aunts, uncles, it was fun. Another year I bought Build-A-Bear PJ's for the children's special dolls. The boxes organize the day, and are great for emphasizing the really important things and taking the focus off of the presents.
The Annual Christmas Ornament Every year we purchase a Hallmark ornament for each child and for ourselves as a couple. When it is time to decorate the tree we gather around and line up everyone's ornaments. We go through each year remembering what our family was like "way back when" and rejoicing over each addition as the first ornament for each child comes up in the story. When the children leave the nest, we'll pack up their ornaments and send them off to start making their own families and memories. That thought makes me happy and sad. I hope for at least one or two Christmas' futures we have them bring their old ornaments and the new ones that they've bought for their children so that we can go through the whole gigantic story of us as it is then.
Happy planning, and may your Christmas be truly blessed with the presence of Christ.