The True Meaning of Christmas

What makes a holiday season special? How is it made meaningful? There is no right answer. The answer to these questions are defined by each of us personally. These are questions I ask myself each year as I sense the holidays drawing closer.
I love the holiday season! I enjoy the feelings of togetherness and warmth. The yummy food that is cooked and baked for the ocassion. The time spent focusing on blessing others with the gifts they love. I love all of it!
My dilemma is from within me. Something deep and at time unreachable. I struggle at Christmas time. As a mother of 6 beautiful children, gift giving can be a real struggle. The things I would love to get for my children are often unattainable as the cost is certainly an issue. It forces me to be creative and the energy that that takes can be overwhelming at times. I want the holidays to be meaningful to my children as well. This struggle has forced me to look at what the meaning of the season is for me and for my family. I am forced to dig deep and come to a place where I choose to celebrate Christmas season for exactly how it was meant to be celebrated.
As believers in Jesus Christ, the focus is Him during the holiday season. After all, isn't it His birth that brings us to this day anyway. So, as Christmas passed last year I became increasingly drawn into seeking out how our family can focus even more on the reason for the season. JESUS!
For me personally it's not even just about Christ's birth. It is the mere fact that he came to us all for the purpose of saving us from eternal death. So, it is the whole story that draws me during this time. It is a reason for celebration! It is a special time to anticipate His birth, His coming to to our world for the sole purpose of saving us. I don't know about you, but I certainly need saving. I can't do this life alone. I screw it up on a daily basis. My sin, my insecurities, my selfish ways.
This Christmas season begins The Gonzales family's first advent adventure. I am so looking forward to sharing with my children the joy that comes in anticipating Christ's birth and all that means for their life. They know the Christmas story already, but this will be a great way to going deeper in the realization of His love for us.
So, I am choosing not to stress this year on where all of the money is going to come from to buy gifts for our large family. It always works out. I am choosing to start some meaningful traditions that can be passed on through generations. The story of Jesus to be passed on to my children and on to their children and on to their children. A gift that lasts through the generations sounds like a perfect gift to me.

Here are some of the advent activities we are going to follow.

www.truthinthetinsel.com

Jesse Tree Journey at:
www.aholyexperience.com

Thanks to a couple of my friends for sending me their ideas as well. I am going to blog about our adventure. See you soon!