Christmas Thoughts

Zoe and I have been out shopping for Christmas and being on a tighter budget this year has helped me put my focus more on what the season is about. I suppose I've been thinking about it more since Paul has never been as thrilled about the Christmas season as I am and we were discussing it recently in conjunction with my job loss. One of the reasons Paul does not like Christmas is because when he was a kid budgets were often over-extended and it caused lots of arguments. In our discussion, he mentioned the pressure of having to have the perfect gifts and decorations can put a lot of strain on finances and families and I began to think about what Christmas really means and what we want to teach Zoe.
Christmas to me is first and foremost about Jesus' birth. I have thought more about what Mary went through since we have Zoe. Traveling on a donkey while being pregnant and not knowing where she would live or have the baby would be very stressful. I know all the preparation we put into finding a doctor and a hospital and getting the nursery ready. Also, Mary was probably very young and did not have any family to help her. One of the exciting things when Zoe was born was showing her off to her grandparents. And their help after her birth was tremendous. I have to think of Joseph as well. He did not plan to have a child under these circumstances. He had to find a place to live and a job to provide financially for them. He also had the stress of traveling to Bethlehem at what seemed to be a most inopportune time with a baby due at any moment. Their willingness to accept these circumstances (and we don't read about any complaining) is a real testimony to me. I suppose what stands out the most to me is that everyone we read about involved in the Christmas story was obedient to God and accepted the circumstances even though it could seem an inconvenience to what they wanted to do with their lives. The shepherds left their flocks and the wisemen traveled to Bethlehem. It challenges me to willingly accept circumstances I can't change, be obedient where I can change, and to trust God knowing there are no surprises with Him.
The other thing that stands out to me at Christmas is the time we spend with family & friends. We had an extended family gathering on Saturday (which we now only do at Christmas) and its a great way to catch up on all the cousins and their kids. It was more interesting this year because we have Zoe. The Holiday season gives us a chance to spend time with each other since we usually have less work obligations this time of year.
What I hope we can teach Zoe is that Christmas is not about the tree, decorations, or gifts. While I love all of these things and believe that traditions are important, I want to emphasize to Zoe that these activities are important because we are spending time as a family and this is a time for focusing on the birth of Jesus. I don't want the shopping and decorations to cause irritation and stress in our family because we have too much to do for the Holiday season. Instead I want it to promote family togetherness. Christmas should be about the birth of our Savior first and I want our family time and traditions to emphasize this. I just finished reading the first 5 books of the OT recently and was impressed by how often the Israelites were instructed to teach their children what God had done. They also had holidays and monuments established as reminders. That is how I want to use the Christmas holiday. Yes, it is a time of family and fun, but it has a deeper meaning--the birth of Jesus. I am looking for ideas so if any of you have suggestions or family traditions, I would love to hear them. And Zoe and I have started one family tradition together--going shopping! I did not get any pictures, but on our excursion to the mall she could not get enough of all the hustle and bustle. Christmas is a lot more exciting this year with Zoe and I am looking forward to the day when she will be old enough to know what is happening! We wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!