Decorations Go, Emmanuel Stays

I love decorating for Christmas.

It feels wonderful to add decorations, greenery and lights,

to make my home sparkle and glow for the holidays weeks.

I don't love un-decorating for Christmas.

It feels a little frustrating to repack decorations, greenery and lights,

and return my home to normal after the holiday weeks.

Last year I did a major re-organization with my Christmas decor.

You know that elusive quest to

"have a place for everything,

and have everything in its place?"

This system of new boxes, clearly labeled,  worked well.

It was easy to return things where they belonged.

The cards didn't work so well. 

They didn't mail themselves,

and are still in the cool box I packed them in.

This year I added another small project to my life as I repacked the boxes.

Fragile things were given their own containers.

I used to just wrap decor in a lot of plastic bags,

but I decided I needed a system that was so organized,

it almost packed itself back up.

Besides, these little flocked trees didn't come out so well this year.

They were kinda crunched.

I used Quaker Oats containers and wrapping paper.

It kinda' bubbled, scrapbook paper probably would have worked better.

Sets of things were also given their own containers.

I bought these gorgeous babies in the 75% clearance sale

after Christmas sale at a Goodwill.

Next year can't come soon enough to pull out these beauties again!

This box came with some kind of food in it,

and worked perfectly for the angels.

Now, they have their own home.

Many of the nice, sturdy boxes that gifts came in,

were re-purposed for specific decorations.

I didn't decorate all the boxes,

that can always happen later.

We left up only the greenery and the lights on top of the windows

and the snowflakes on the windows and hanging in the house.

I like to leave up a little cheer throughout the long winter month of January.

We'll wait for better weather to take the outside lights off the house.

For the most part, the symbols of Christmas are packed away,

but there's something I never pack into the attic.

Emmanuel, God with Us,

is still residing in my heart,

as He has since He saved me in October, 1982.

Since the beginning of time,

mankind has made up rituals to try to appease and

seek the presence of the God of Heaven, 

 reaching up to Him in ways He did not create or condone.

They ignore the fact that He brought Heaven to earth,

through the birth of His Son,

to bring us from earth to Heaven,

through faith in His Son.

It is so simple and so beautiful.

Day by day,

in any season,

in any place,

we celebrate

Emmanuel

God

With

Us.

Is Emmanuel

still in your home?

**************

Christmas Every Day

Making My Home Sing is the theme for Monday hosted by the blog Moms the Word.


Monday begins the final week before Christmas.  As the countdown gets closer, kids' anticipation rises in the same proportion as their moms' anxiety.  Most of us are wondering how Christmas always sneaks up on us, no matter how early we begin our plans.  When you're a kid, it seems as if each day before the holiday is a year; as an adult, each year seems as though it were a day.  We're thinking, "didn't we just celebrate Christmas?" and the kids are already agonizing over 340 whole days until next Christmas.

I made cookie dough in October for the freezer. It's still in the freezer.  I hope to turn that dough into cookies  this week.

I usually have all the stocking items purchased and distributed into labeled brown lunch bags in the closet by the beginning of November.  I will finish shopping for the stockings this week.

I normally have stacks of presents purchased and under the tree before my husband and I do the last minute "big gift" shopping. We will do more shopping than usual this week.

I do have a lot to do, but I am looking at this Monday with peace in my heart.  I am excited about these activities and am reminding myself that I do them because I want to.  I love doing these special things with my kids and for my kids.

As I was teaching Sunday School Sunday morning, my heart was thrilled to go over the birth of Christ with my students, ages 7-9.  I was thrilled to explain EMMANUEL means "God with us."  The Lord Jesus Christ gave up the glories of Heaven and the fellowship of His Father to come to earth as a baby. He went from the King of Heaven to a baby in a manger. It was for us.  He willingly came to earth to die on the Cross for our sins. 

I know December 25th is not the day the Lord Jesus Christ was born and I know that many of the ways we celebrate the holiday don't have a lot to do with Christianity. We follow the traditions because they bring us joy, comfort, encouragement,  produce great family memories and are just plain fun.

At the grocery store, a cashier asked us if we were excited to celebrate Christmas.  My husband replied, "Yes, I am excited, but I really celebrate Christmas every day of the year."  Meaning, we love the American family traditions of Christmas, but as born-again Christians, every day we celebrate in our hearts and minds this glorious Truth - the Lord Jesus came to earth to die for our sins.

Yes, I would love to get everything done on my list of things I think would make this Christmas memorable for my family. But, more than that, I want to instill  in the hearts of my children that Christmas should be celebrated every day in their hearts, as they worship Emmanuel, the God that is with us.