It's Been a While!
Hi friends! It seems like forever since I had the chance to sit down and whip up a new blog post to share with you. I have been mentally filing away all of the awesome things that I've been working on in hopes of blogging about them in the future. It seems like every time I think things are going to slow down... BAM, life happens. I hope that this post finds you well. Keep a lookout for more to come through the end of the year, and the beginning of the next!
The Countdown is On...
If you are anything like me, the holiday season has crept up and you are scrambling to get those last minute gifts together in time for Christmas. I was shocked the first time that I ran to the store for groceries and saw a sign proclaiming, "Only 30 shopping days left!". Now we're down to just eight. That's barely over a week left to get those last minute gifts in! The roads and stores are flooded with all the crazies shoppers, as they frantically check to make sure that they get the perfect gift for everyone on their list.
'Tis the Season
The hustle and bustle has not been lost on me either. I plead insanity on thinking I should make most of my gifts this year. It seems that I've been Christmas-ing since September, and somehow I still had gifts to purchase in December! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy this time of year tremendously. I love to find a gift that has meaning for the receiver and decorating is something that I enjoy as well. Plus, there are TONS of activities and parties happening, which keeps me on my toes.
Since Tom and I just moved to a new city in August, we still have loads of things to explore. With all of the new things to see and do, we've spent a lot of time forging new traditions.
- Christmas tree lighting in the square...check.
- Downtown Christmas parade... check.
- Viewing the charity trees in the local hotel... check.
- Driving around Christmas light hunting... triple check.
Slow Down
When I was growing up, my parents did an excellent job balancing the birth of the Savior with secular traditions. We grew up knowing that Jesus' birth was what we were celebrating, but we also received gifts from Santa. "Happy Birthday Jesus" was performed annually by my sister and me on our church stage, and nativities were ever-present in our home. That being said, the only thing that I knew about advent growing up, was that the candy cane moved through the numbered pockets on Santa's beard. It was a countdown, simple as that!
Now as an adult, some of that still applies to the way that I think of advent. It is just a countdown to Christmas, but what does that really mean? Advent is broadly celebrated as a preparation for Christmas, similarly to how Lent is celebrated in preparation for Easter.
The incredible part of this countdown is that we all prepare and celebrate a little differently. My friend Camille mentioned to me that her family read a book together in the days preceding Christmas each year. My husband's family would purchase punch out calendars that contained candy for each day leading up to the holiday. As I mentioned before... we moved a candy cane through Santa's beard. Without the childlike wonder that Christmas used to bring to me, I've had to find new ways to navigate this time. This year I really wanted to focus on who I celebrate, and not just the party details.
I realized, that I didn't want to let my "busyness" rob me of the deeper joy of the season, so I prayed that God would give me a desire to seek Him out in celebration of the gift of His Son. I began to search for a reading plan to guide me through the days leading up to Christmas. It was not as easy, as I had anticipated, to find a reading plan that didn't include more personal Christmas stories from the author than actual scripture. My search led me to a list of twenty-eight passages, one for each day of the four weeks of Advent. These passages span the Old and New Testaments to give the reader a fuller understanding of Christ's fulfillment of prophecy by coming to earth as an infant. You can find the list here: Advent Scriptures.
Start Now
Admittedly, I began my count down a little late this year. Why should you start this late in the game? There is still so much that you can learn about Jesus' birth before we celebrate on December 25th. Don't think "why should I bother?" just because you are a bit behind. Make sure that in this time of celebration, you don't forget to spend time with the one that you are celebrating. I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas and that you step into the New Year refreshed and renewed.*side note: You can thank the band Relient K for the title of today's blog post.
