Preparing and (hopefully) Simplifying...

I can't believe it's already December 1st, but the Christmas season is officially here and we are preparing for our 5th Christmas together (we got engaged on December 8, 2006!) and our 2nd Christmas with James. We took this picture on Sunday before church. James' Nana is responsible (in a completely good way!) for this adorable outfit above and all of his personalized holiday outfits that you've been seeing/will be seeing on the blog.

And as Christmas approaches (a time of the year that I love so much), we are also simultaneously in the middle of a sort of difficult stripping away, refining period and season of our lives, our marriage, and our walk with the Lord. I don't mean that in a super spiritual way. Because believe me, I have not accepted some of the circumstances that the Lord has allowed into my life lately as a gift to refine me and make me more like Jesus. It has been quite the opposite on most days, and I have made it look like an ugly, crying, snotty, toddler tantrum and wrestling with the Lord through much of this stripping away (for lack of better words) process. But as the Lord patiently deals with me and loves me through some difficulties right now, I am seeing Him work and fulfill His good purposes even in difficult days. Anyway, as a result, I am really just longing for a simplified Christmas this year that does not detract from focusing on what this holiday is truly all about. So we are going to be forgoing (or at least trying) some of the frills that this season often brings and just trying our best to focus on Jesus.

We put up a tiny tree (very Charlie Brown-esque) this year that we are going to decorate in the next few days with the kind of ornaments that James can enjoy (and take off, and put on, and take off and put on....ha!) that won't cause me to get bent out of shape over him enjoying them to the fullest extent that a toddler boy can! He has already been playing with all of the advent decorations, snow globes, and nativity sets and they are scattered all over the floor at the moment which is hard for a Type A Mama like me (and I know that the advent decorations might not display the correct countdown the whole season because of all of his playing), but I truly want him to be able to enjoy them (because it really is just stuff)! We are making most of our gifts this year for our family members and trying to make the gifts very personal and meaningful (I have gotten tons of DIY gift ideas from pinterest!) We are going to be giving James 3 gifts to symbolize the 3 gifts that the wisemen gave Jesus, and I would also love to make a birthday cake for Jesus with him this year if I get the chance. I also found a couple of great ideas for helping your child understand the true meaning of the Christmas and so we are making a Jesse Tree and The Names of Jesus Advent Chain with him. I am still on the lookout for other ideas or would love suggestions of meaningful traditions for celebrating Christmas that your families have adopted that you could share. :)

So many Christmases have passed in my life since becoming a Christian when I, for one reason or another, hardly had/took time to focus on the true gift. I'm not saying we wont eat Christmas cookies or visit Santa this year (because we will), but I am saying that I don't want to let Christmas pass without reflecting on Jesus. I don't want this to just be another hollow celebration and I don't want to lose sight of Christ in all of the hustle and bustle of Christmas. I don't want to waste what He is doing in me... So as we are preparing for Christmas in our house, I pray that we are hopefully simplifying and shifting our focus to Him.

Isaiah 9:6

⁶ For to us a child is born, 

   to us a son is given, 

   and the government will be on his shoulders. 

And he will be called 

   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.