{From the Christmas Notebook}

Thanksgiving came early this year, didn't it? I keep feeling like I need to frantically rush into Christmas preparations, and then I remember that it's not even December yet.

We had a nice time with family this year, with "Thanksgiving A" spent with Jamie's family and "Thanksgiving B" (that would be Friday) spent with mine. The shadow puppet show was lots of fun, but I think my favorite part was seeing the kids ad-lib after the stories were done. They kept creeping behind the sheet, ready to captivate the audience with yet another adventure.

Thanksgiving B morphed into a ginormous sleepover which, although exhausting, was lots of fun, too. On Saturday morning Papa made steamers like crazy while Noni deftly whipped out the pankawaffleups and aebleskivers. (Those are real foods. Trust me.)

Now, although it is still November, I'm going to sneak into Christmas mode for a minute. And here's why: Last year I was in bed before midnight on Christmas Eve. Before. Midnight. Never, ever had I done that before (at least, not as an adult.)

So at the end of the Christmas season last year, I sat down and took a few notes. I wanted to remember what elements worked together to make the holiday special and not so rushed and frantic and last minute.

In case you have similar Christmas goals, I thought I'd share a few suggestions from my notebook:

1. Decorate the tree early. This year and last we got our tree the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It worked out beautifully to head into December with the tree already decorated. (This also paved the way for a peaceful beginning to the Jesse Tree advent which begins on November 29th.)

Last year after we cut down the tree we carved an "L" into the stump. This year the kids searched and searched . . . and they found last year's stump!

Now this year's "L" stump is ready for next year.

2. Pick a "due date" other than December 25. Set a goal to have gifts ready and wrapped by an earlier date. It's exhausting to wrap gifts on Christmas Eve and it always takes longer than anticipated. It's also nice to have the wrapping supplies put away rather than crammed in a closet at the last minute. (Not that I've ever done that before . . . .) If everything is ready by, say, December 20th, then you will be more rested for the big day.

3. Clean out the fridge a week in advance. It's helpful to have it all ready to stock with Christmas goodies. Think ahead to the week after Christmas, too, with meal planning. It's nice if you don't have to go grocery shopping on December 26th! Make an extra big pot of soup that can be frozen or stock up on a couple of Costco lasagnas to make post holiday meals easier.

4. Don't forget the stockings! Stocking stuffers always seem to sneak up on me. Last year I came up with a plan that worked really well. I tucked four shoe boxes under the bed, one for each child. I made a list of gift ideas to keep in my purse, and as I shopped throughout the month I added to the boxes. It was so helpful to have a visual of what I had and where I was lacking without needing to dig through an assortment of plastic bags mashed behind my high heels in the closet.

5. Begin the bedtime routines early. The longer nights make this easier, but aim to have dinner earlier during December so that the bedtime routines are peaceful and pleasant and not rushed. This is an ideal time to read books while drinking hot chocolate in front of the fire or to share advent traditions such as the Jesse Tree. Of course not every night will be seamless, but overall it's so worth it to aim for that atmosphere of peace.

Speaking of bedtime routines, I still have two more (not so) little heads to bless before they drift off into dreamland. So I'll leave you for now. In the mean time, may your homes be filled with peace, joy and hope as you ease your way into the Christmas season.

{A Mama's Heart: Preparing for His Birth}

Last week one of my dear readers posed an excellent question:

How do you as a mom prepare your heart for Christmas
when you are so busy with normal life stuff and then on top of that
you are doing all the preparing, planning, coordinating, Christmas shopping,
baking, etc.? How do you juggle all those things yet still keep your focus on Him?
What things do you do as a mom to anticipate the birth of Jesus?
~Anna

I've been mulling this one over ever since. At first it scared me because of the obvious. What am I doing to prepare myself?


I had hundreds of responses in mind and zero responses at the same time. Because don't we always hope to do better? Aren't we always painfully aware of our shortcomings? All I could think about was my faults. How I had raised my voice, overreacted, let the dust and laundry accumulate . . . the list goes on.

And then I sought the Lord. What would He have a broken, flawed mama share with other broken and flawed mamas?

He's gently nudged my heart with some thoughts that I am realizing are already a part of who I am, a part of who He is creating me to be. I am nowhere near perfect, dear reader. Daily I grieve over my inability to live in complete faith and trust. But He is teaching me, and He is faithful.

That said, I timidly offer a few thoughts on how a mama might prepare her heart during this Christmas season.

* * * * *

When I was about eight years old, my family gathered at my aunt and uncle's house for a Christmas celebration. I don't remember much about it, but I do recall that I got to sing a solo. The song I chose was "O Holy Night." I wore my favorite long black velvet dress with empire waist and Scandinavia-inspired embroidery and trilled:

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night, when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night, O night divine!

Ever since that night, this song has held special meaning for me. This year, my heart has been drawn again and again to the line, "A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices . . . ."

This, to me, beautifully summarizes a mother's heart during the Christmas season. We are likely weary. There is much to plan and organize. Funds run low and there are still gifts to purchase and there's the cleaning to be done and the laundry piles up and, yes, we are weary.

But. We have the thrill of hope. This bears repeating. We have the thrill of hope! We know that the Savior has come and is coming again. This, my friends, is divine. Because of this, we, the weary world, the weary mamas, we rejoice!

But how? Yes, I know it's nice to have a few tangible ideas to hold onto when we feel the weight of weariness but really want to rejoice instead (or at least feel like we should). So here are a few suggestions to get you going:

1. Begin the day well. I wish I could say that I'm up at the crack of dawn every morning with my Bible and tea in hand, blissfully worshiping the Lord as the sun rises in the east. Spurgeon's words inspire me:

Let us not see the face of man today till we have seen Jesus.

There are mornings when I'm able to do this (sans the crack of dawn part), but more often the children are clamoring for breakfast and I get swept into the momentum of the day before I know what hit me. I'm still aware that I need to start my day well, so I frequently put on some quiet music while making breakfast. I have an instrumental Christmas harp CD that is very soothing and worshipful, and it prepares my heart for the day.

2. Practice His presence. Throughout the day I talk with the Lord, sometimes out loud and sometimes quietly in my own thoughts. I keep a copy of Spurgeon's Morning and Evening devotions at hand (okay, so it's in the bathroom) and read it almost daily. Several years ago, before Avery was born, I was touched by his prayer, "Come, my soul, sit at Jesus's feet and learn of Him all this day." In the margin I scribbled, "Three small children! I cannot sit. But my soul can. All day."

This soul-sitting is what I aim for.

3. Say "no" when self surfaces. This is part of practicing His presence. I've actually started muttering "no!" when my mind starts to wander in the direction of placing myself in a position of greater importance than others. Of course there are too many times when I wallow in self, but I am making an effort to clothe myself with Christ and treat others the way He would treat them.

4. Build your fortresses in times of peace. Several years ago a dear family friend shared this concept during ladies' Bible study. She referenced Solomon's life, when his father handed him a nation at peace. He wisely used that time to build the temple and extend the influence of his kingdom.*

This image has stayed with me. If I am "building my fortresses" throughout the normal quiet days, then these days of hustle and bustle won't catch me off guard. I'll be prepared, and my default won't be panic. I'll have stored the Word and worship of God in my daily routine, making my automatic response to Him one of praise, even amidst the chaos.

5. Tune your heart to sing His grace. I've posted often about gratitude, and now more than ever is the time to look for and acknowledge His grace and to praise Him for His gifts. Consider keeping a notebook or journal handy and chronicle His abundant blessings. When we focus on the Giver, it's hard to focus on self and the distractions of the season.

6. Choose a word. I did this by accident this year, but I've claimed the word "joy" for my Christmas season. Whenever I see or hear the word joy, I thank the Lord for speaking to me and I stop to quietly praise Him in that moment. It's almost like a little secret that I share with Him. Only I guess it's not so secret now . . . . You're welcome to "have" the word, too!

7. Worship as a family. This is an area that I hope to grow in as well, but we do enjoy our evening Jesse Tree devotions. We've missed a few nights, and I fight feelings of guilt when that happens (and then I feel guilty for feeling guilty . . . ), but when we are able to read and sing and pray together, it really is a blessed time.

8. Let go of perfectionism. Speaking of guilt, this is a good one to remember. A friend recently posted a comment on facebook about how much she's enjoying the season since she chose to set perfectionism aside. I couldn't agree more. When we want the halls to be decked just so and try to set flames to the brandy-soaked pudding and wonder why the kids don't love it, we are just setting ourselves up for disappointment. Let. It. Go.

9. Become a child. This, of course, has many obvious connotations. But this time, I want us to consider what our kids are thinking about this time of year. This ties in with the whole perfection thing. Will they care if the wrapping paper doesn't coordinate with the decor? No. Will they notice if the mantle decorations are askew? No. Will they notice if the laundry is piled up? No. (Until they run out of socks . . . .)

Will they notice how their mama handles these things? Yes!

So set aside your idea of "Christmas" and focus on what will make this season special for your kids. It's okay if the packages are bow-less and the mistletoe is crumpled. Really. It's okay.

10. End the day well. We begin in His presence, so too, we end in His presence. When I feel anxiety begin to mount the moment my head hits the pillow ("I still need to get a gift for . . .!" or "How can we afford new shoes during this season?!") I choose, in the words of Ann Voskamp, to "dismount it with gratitude." I turn every anxious thought into praise and thank Him for some aspect of that stressful thought. It sounds rather Pollyanna-like, but it works. I'm lulled to sleep in praise rather than anxiety. Not a bad way to end the day.

* * * * *

We weary mamas hold on to the thrill of hope. It keeps us sane and keeps us going. As we daily strive to walk alongside the Lord, worshiping in His presence and marveling at His gift to us this season, we will become more and more aware of the appropriateness of the angels' response to this hope: Fall on your knees!

And with them, on bended knee, we will rejoice.

*Special thanks to Sharon Nelson for speaking wisdom and truth to so many hearts. And thank you, Anna for sharing your question with us!

What Am I Getting Ready For?

After making sure that I wasn't over the 20 grocery limit, I hurriedly emptied the contents of my cart onto the quick check-out counter. The checker went through the usual greetings and questions.

"Washington resident?" she began.

"Yes."

"How are you?" she continued.

"I'm well, thank you," I answered, glancing at my watch. Ten minutes and I needed to be home.

"Did you find everything you were looking for?"

"Yes, I did," was my reply (even though the selection of white tights for my girls was lacking -- I knew I didn't have time to explain it all).

Silence. I'm terrible at small talk. Another glance at the watch.

"Are you ready for the holidays?" she started up again.

My mind raced. I searched and faltered, "I'm getting there. I was able to do a bunch of shopping yesterday . . . and we got our tree up last week . . . ." I hesitated as if there should be more.

Again, silence. I felt like there was more to say. But how to summarize?

Her mind looped to the beginning of her check-out questions. "Did you find everything you were looking for?"

I pretended like it was the first time she had asked. "Yes, thank you."

And my groceries were bagged. We said goodbye. I left.

I wheeled that cart into the parking lot and felt a knot in my stomach as a gust of icy wind forced its way around my chilled body. What on earth was I thinking? Shopping? The tree?

And I realized that's just it -- I was thinking about . . . earth. I was thinking about man's version of "the holidays." Based on our five minute conversation, that woman had no idea that my preparations would involve -- or should involve -- anything more than presents and decorations.

Why should they?

Is that really all that I'm getting ready for? If that's on the top of my mind when someone asks about my holidays -- no matter how rushed I am -- it causes me to wonder.

And I grieve. Here we are, over a week into the advent season. Our family has so enjoyed our evening Jesse Tree devotions. I love it when we light the candles. I love it when my little ones read the Word. I've even seen a change in their demeanor as we work to memorize a passage that our pastor shared on Sunday:

So then let us pursue the things which
make for peace and the building up of one another.

But these preparations can't stay at home. I can memorize verses, I can light the candles, I can pray to be more patient with my children. But if it all stays shut up within these walls, then what's the point?

I want another chance. A do-over. I want to tell her that I am preparing for the holidays every single day. I am anticipating the celebration of Christ's birth. I am anticipating His triumphant return. And I am decorating and giving because I am filled to the brim with His love. That's what I'm getting ready for.


Scripture: Romans 14:19. Illustration by Tasha Tudor.