2014, The Year I Kill Christmas For My Kids?

When my oldest daughter recently got that gleam in her eye (typical to this time of year) and began listing all the most wonderful, awesome, amazing Christmas activities we “should do” to help us “celebrate the season”, I got that gleam in my eye-- the one that resembles a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Christmastime in Atlanta. Having grown up in Seattle, I can honestly tell you that Christmas in the northwest is *nothing* like it is here in the south. Stone Mountain Christmas, Snow Mountain, The Nutcracker at the Fabulous Fox, Magical Nights of Lights at Lake Lanier, and A Christmas Carol at the Alliance Theatre are all fantastic excursions, and those are just the icing on the cake. I would highly recommend any of them to you with glowing 5 star reviews-- I would, that is, if you can fit them into your budget.

This year we are just not that family.

Like many Americans, we too have felt the financial pinch lately. So the thought of spending $100 or more on just *one* of those fabulous Christmas experiences for our family of 5 is enough to make me break out in hives.

As I stood there in the kitchen with that “deer in the headlights” gleam in my eye, a million thoughts ran through my head. It’s not just my daughter, even I think Stone Mountain Christmas is magical. No way we can afford that this year. My Mom made Christmas magical without any fancy, expensive activities. How did she do that? Do I just tell my daughter no to all of it, dash her hopes, and pick up the pieces later? How do you explain a tight financial situation to an 11 year old, or do you? Is this the year I effectively, once and for all kill Christmas for my kids?

And then it hits me. My focus is off. All those shows and light displays do not make Christmas magical. Christmas is magical because of the greatest Gift ever given to humanity summed up in one word.

Love.

The love of the heavenly Father revealed in the birth of His one and only Son as one of us. God incarnate. God with us.

Children need love and family and most importantly Jesus more than spectacular Christmas fun. And I am not going to ruin my children's entire concept of Christmas by denying them a few extravagant pleasures.

I recovered from my deer-like trance and got back to basics, back to simplicity. My daughter and I sat down and made a list of all the Christmas activities we love that cost us exactly nothing. In no time we had quite a list, and all 3 of my girls were smiling in anticipation.

I hope my story has inspired you, and I hope you’ll join us this year in our attempt to grab hold of simplicity and capture the real reason for the season.

Here is the list I made with my girls. Come join us. You’ll be glad you did!

1.  Marietta Christmas tree lighting in Marietta Square on Thursday, December 4. http://www.mariettacalendar.com/ailec_event/Marietta-Christmas-tree-lighting/?instance_id=1894

2.  Bethlehem Walk at United Methodist Church on Jamerson Road in Marietta. https://sites.google.com/site/bethlehemwalkatmvumc/

3.  Christmas Packages at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church on Johnson Ferry Road Sunday, December 7.  http://www.johnsonferry.org/default.aspx?page=4066&eventId=6407

4.  Lights of Life on the campus of Life University in Marietta.  Technically, this costs $5 to $10 a car based on what night of the week you go. But if you divide that by 5 people (or more?) in a family, it feels like nothing.  http:///www.life.edu/index.php/info/info-visit-life/info-lightsoflife

5.  Christmas Eve candlelight service at Johnson Ferry Baptist. We’ve tried a number of candlelight services over the years at a number of different locations. This one has completely won us over. My husband and I are always moved. Our girls love it. Times for this year are not yet posted, but you can be sure to find more information on the Johnson Ferry Baptist Church website, www.jfbc.org, in the early part of December.

God bless, and have a very, merry Christmas!