Christmas time is hectic!! Everyone is busy decorating, buying presents, baking, and attending parties. It's a great time of the year but sometimes it can be a little too much. I've been trying to keep in mind the true meaning of Christmas and not worry about the little things that can overwhelm us if we let them. I'd like to share five things we've done as a family that have really helped us have the spirit of Christmas.
1. Decorations. Keep them simple. This year, we mainly decorated our living room with a tree, nativities, and a few other items. I went ahead and ordered myself a nativity set because I didn't really have one. Well, we have a one-piece display that included Joseph, Mary and Jesus that we bought the year we were married but I've always wanted a set that included animals and other people. Having the new set as a centerpiece on our mantle was really nice!
2. Treats. It's so fun to make treats to share with others! I stuck to a few relatively easy to make treats like pretzel turtles, dipped pretzel rods, and peanut brittle. By far the most popular treat was the pretzel turtles! Everyone who's had them has raved about them, which was great because they literally took minutes to make. I made almost 150 of these yummy things.
3. Meaning. I've been telling my kids that Christmas is about Jesus; we're celebrating his birthday. We've been reading different scriptures that talk about the birth of Jesus every night this month to help us focus on why we have this holiday.
4. Family Time. We've been doing a few activities as a family that have been fun and festive. We attended a nativity open-house and Christmas play put on by the Stake activities committee. Our ward put on a breakfast with Santa that was very well-done but not too elaborate or extravagant. We went and looked at Christmas lights that various people in our community have put out around their homes. Some people have some spectacular light displays!! We're also looking forward to a trip to see Dan's family in Michigan.
5. Cards and Gifts. Gifts are always the big thing for Christmas so it's been really hard not to go overboard. To help in this area, I've actually been setting aside money a few months before December so we won't be taking all the funds out from this month's budget. Also, I should've gotten our cards out earlier but it didn't happen so I'm not going to stress out about it. However, I've decided to make sure I mark when I'd like to send them out next year so I can be better prepared.
I'd love to hear about how you've kept the spirit of Christmas!
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