Upgrade Your Christmas with the Greatest Gift Ever

Morgan Farr is authentic and consistent. She doesn't choose the "easy" path to personal discipleship and godly parenting. Her biblically-based choices are for her family's spiritual health and maturity. In this Christmas UPGRADE, Morgan invites us to look beyond "normal" Christmas in the culture to a more biblical approach.

"Forget the gifts," Morgan says. "This Christmas I want Christ."

I (Dawn) say that every year. Some years, I'm more successful in that focus than other years. What helps is to have a strategy, and Morgan gives us a good one!

Morgan continues . . .

Christmas is a beautiful season. I have four children six and under, so the anticipation for Christmas is real in our house. In addition to that, I love a theme—and getting to decorate the entire house for a particular theme is such a joy for me.

So we do Christmas BIG in our family, with a lot of traditions and things that help us make the time meaningful.

As a military family, we move a lot. When people find out that we love Christmas, they often ask what we teach our kids about Santa, gifts and giving.

My family uses the acronym T-R-E-E at Christmas to keep the focus on Christ rather than consumerism.

Consider the T-R-E-E Christmas Focus

1. Teach Theology

Theology is the study of God and religious belief. When it comes to the Christmas season, understanding what you are doing, and why you are doing it, is crucial.

The secular world celebrates Christmas just as much, if not more than the church does.

Let me give you an example.

Recently, Good Housekeeping magazine released a list of the top 70 Christmas songs of all time. Christ’s name doesn’t break into the list until number 25!

Now are all the songs on this list bad? No. But we are careful about the type of Christmas music that we listen to.

We don’t do the more obviously ridiculous or tawdry “Christmas” songs.

But would you believe that there are church favorite Christmas carols that are historically inaccurate and potentially even heretical? 

Silent Night and Away in a Manger both fall into the questionable theology category because they lean heavily towards Docetism, the belief that Jesus wasn’t actually human—He just looked like it on the outside.

How do they lean that way?

They claim a quiet night after Jesus was born.

Have you ever been in a room immediately after a child is born, or the first 24 hours afterwards? There is not anything silent in that first night!

It’s a denial of the humanity of Jesus to say that as a newborn He didn’t cry.

And then my all time least favorite song: Mary Did You Know?

This song is CRAZY to me.

They repeatedly ask, “Mary did you know….” But if you check out Luke 1:26-38, you will see that, yes,  Mary Knew.

Gabriel told her.

And if that isn’t enough, check out Luke 1:46-55 where Mary talks about her knowledge.

If we want to raise children who understand the true meaning of Christmas, then we absolutely must teach our children solid theology.

We do this partly so they can recognize the bad theology and stay away from it, but also so they understand the importance of Christmas.

2. Remember Reverence

If you want your family to have a Christ-centered holiday, keep Christ at the center. I know that may sound overly simple, yet it is something that absolutely must be said.

We choose to make Christmas a CELEBRATION of Christ’s birthday.

In order to help the kids understand this we do a big celebration of each child on their birthday, then we celebrate Christ’s birth at Christmas. We exchange gifts using the one thing you want, one thing you need, one thing to wear, and one thing to read, concept.

To help the children understand what actually happened at Christmas, and why it matters, we read through one chapter of Luke each day at breakfast.

Starting on chapter one on the first day of December puts you at Christ’s resurrection (Luke 24) on Christmas Eve.

I like to do this because it keeps us focused on the fact that the manger was not where we were saved, but rather the cross.

3. Encourage Engagement

I hate the idea of LYING to my children in any capacity. So our family tells the truth about the tooth fairy, the "Easter Bunny," and yes, even Santa.

We read a fair amount of church history, so for Christmas, we just include that in our celebration.

• We explain that Santa is based on Saint Nicholas, a real man from the third century.
• We explain about the three wisemen, and the significance of the gifts that were given to Christ at the manger (Matthew 2:11).

There are a ton of excellent Christmas books out there. We choose to read a different one each day. (If you need some recommendations for great Christmas books feel free to contact me!)

These are great for inspiring deep conversations and critical thinking about the holiday season with your children.

4. Extend your Environment

The holiday season is a great time to model service and hospitality to your children.

Extending an invitation to family is wonderful, but I would encourage you to reach beyond family ties this holiday season.

• Is there a new family in your neighborhood?
• What about the singles group in your church?
• Is there an elderly church member who needs a place to be on Christmas day?

We once attended a church that had a list in the bulletin of people who were hosting holiday events—all you had to do was call and RSVP. This allowed everyone to have somewhere special to be during the holiday season.

During this incredible time of year, the focus is often on the gifts given. But let me ask you. What is the greatest gift that you can give your children?

My answer?

A deep understanding of who Christ is and why He came to earth on this special night is the best gift you could ever give.

Keeping Christ the focus of Christmas is an incredible gift, because each interaction you have is an opportunity to tell about God’s greatest gift ever—His only son.

Which part of T-R-E-E will you be using this year?

Morgan Farr is a Texas-loving, succulent-cultivating, book nerd and aspiring author. Stationed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this Army wife is learning to train dogs, develop her four young children, and tackle homeschool life—all while moving all over the country. Morgan believes in integrity, authenticity, and grit. Although she writes for many different publications, you can almost always find Morgan’s most recent ramblings on her blog.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Couleur at Pixabay.

Preparing for the Holidays

Kathy Carlton Willis is a mentoring master, helping people achieve their goals through a practical, biblical focus, and challenging them to embrace good choices for their wellbeing. In this Christmas UPGRAGE, she offers helpful strategies for health and weight control.

“I love the holidays," Kathy says, "and unfortunately, I inherited the food-as-a-love-language gene from both sides of my family."

Hmmm. I (Dawn) think we must be related, because I have that gene too. But Kathy doesn't stop at acknowledging a problem; she's determined to offer creative solutions!

Kathy continues . . .

While others are gaining the holiday five to ten pounds, my goal is to hold my own.

In Kathy-math, that’s like losing during other times of the year. That way, when I dive into “getting back on track” on January 2, I don’t have that extra holiday weight to lose as others do.

See? It’s a win! I’ll be ahead of the game.

What is YOUR holiday strategy?

I’m finding a variety of methods to enjoy the holidays without setting back my health and weight-loss progress. Sometimes, implementing what I know goes better than at other times!

Accountability helps. And keeping close touch of my WHY.

Let’s savor the flavors for our holiday meal, but not for weeks on end. Be mindful to eat well when we’re celebrating, but eat for being well the other meals.

One of my holiday meal plans is to allow myself to eat what we don’t commonly have throughout the year.

• I can forego the mashed potatoes on my plate, knowing I can have them next time we have roast or meatloaf.
• We seldom have homemade yeast rolls, so it’s worth not eating other carbs to enjoy those fluffy orbs of goodness.
• When it comes to dessert I choose the pumpkin pie option and don’t eat the pie crust.

Here Are Some More Tips

1. If you’re going to a buffet or potluck, look over the whole food line before choosing which ones you’ll put on your plate.

Better to savor some of the food than be miserable after eating all of the food.

2. Eat slowly, enjoying conversation as much as the food.

Ask others questions and invest in truly listening. Reminisce favorite family memories. Tell younger generations stories of their ancestors.

3. After you finish your plate of food, offer to serve others.

Refill glasses. Delay seconds or dessert.

Let your food have time to catch up with you so your brain starts to register that you are getting full.

4. When you decide you are finished, pop a mint or piece of gum to freshen your breath.

Put on some lipstick. You’re less likely to want to mess that up with more food!

5. Choose extra activity to offset the extra food intake.

Make group activities a new family or friend tradition.

Go to an area known for Christmas lights. Park the car and walk as a group to see the decorations.

Be sure to have on light colors or reflective gear so you don’t get hit, and carry a flashlight. Or think ahead and give everyone in the group a glow necklace to wear. (Or even some twinkly Christmas light necklaces!)

6. Bring a healthy recipe option to carry-in dinners.

Make it so good, others can’t believe it’s healthy. They’ll start asking for it at future gatherings.

7. Make the non-food parts of the holiday shine more.

Focus on the love. Make new memories.

8. Have a plan for the day before and after a holiday to eat more produce and proteins.

Clean eating helps offset one day of savoring special foods.

9. Make an extra effort to get more sleep.

We need it more than ever during the holidays, and it truly is the one thing that affects wellbeing of body, soul, and spirit.

Let’s focus on being good caregivers of our bodies this season of worship and turn down what doesn’t help us live well for God.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1–2 NLT)

At a time of year when we have a lot on our plates, we need to make sure we don’t pile a lot on our dinner plates!

And for that matter, we need to reduce what we have on our life plates too—so we can truly SAVOR the SEASON.

What will you have on your holiday plate?

Kathy Carlton Willis is God’s Grin Gal. She writes and speaks with a balance of funny and faith—whimsy and wisdom. Over a thousand of Kathy’s articles have been published and she has several books in her Grin Gal brand. Her latest books are The Grin Gal’s Guide for Wellbeing: Being Well in Body, Soul & Spirit, and the ancillary product, The Grin Gal’s Planner for Wellbeing. Set yourself up for success by joining one of Kathy’s wellbeing groups, which will start in January. More information at www.kathycarltonwillis.com, or contact her for details at kathy@kathycarltonwillis.com.

Article content adapted from The Grin Gal’s Guide for Wellbeing: Being Well in Body, Soul & Spirit ©2021.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Cara Crobbelaar at Unsplash.

Hope for Humanity

Pam Farrel is writing and speaking much about hope these days, and in this Christmas UPLIFT article, she reminds us about the truth of scripture regarding the hope God offered to humanity in Christ.

Pam asks, "Is this Covid-chaos causing internal despair, discouragement or depression? Is the persistent pandemic producing anxiety, angst or anger?"

Yes, I (Dawn) have seen so many crazy emotions spring up during Covid-19. But we don't have to let our emotions rule. God has an answer for us!

Pam continues . . .

Ever felt like this?  

• You drag yourself in the door. Your arms are loaded with more work than you feel you can possibly ever get done, so you drop the burden of books, papers, briefcase, files, and bags in the middle of the floor.
• You don’t even bother to turn on the light because you don’t want to look at the state the house is in.
• You’re not sure if you want to take a long, hot bath or just skip it all together and collapse on your bed fully dressed.
• You are hungry, but making anything to eat seems like such a bother.
• Your head is pounding, your heart is racing, and your body aches.
• You are sick of coffee, sick of people, sick of demands, and sick of life.
• Everyone seems to need a piece of you: family, friends, neighbors—people you dearly love, but at this moment, it seems overwhelming to move to help them.
• You want to lock all the doors and unplug from all the phones, social media and e-mail; but even that seems like work. You simply lean against the wall and slide down, collapsing in a heap on the floor.
• Your head buries itself in your knees and you wrap your arms around yourself because you could really use a hug. You want to cry, but you’re even too tired to feel.
• You are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Something needs to CHANGE!

Change is the good news of the Christmas story.

Each Christmas, I speak at holiday events (now virtual) on “The Christmas Light.” Using an Advent wreath and candles, I weave a message of inspiration based on Isaiah 9:6:

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.

This verse has been popularized by Handle’s Messiah concerts where, during the Halleluiah chorus, the audience stands.

Are you looking to the Messiah for hope today?

In the time of Isaiah—just as now—people carried desperately heavy burdens. They needed a Savior.

When life seems impossible, heaven sends help:

And the angel came to her [Mary] and said, “Rejoice, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”  …:

Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God….You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.

Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?”

The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore, the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God… For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1: 29-37 HCSB emphasis added).

Jesus, the Messiah, truly is HOPE for humanity!

What do you want the Christ to accomplish in YOUR life?

Ponder Christ’s names below:

Wonderful Counselor:  An astonishing advisor

Mighty God: The Almighty God: a strong, heroic, warrior Champion

Everlasting Father: The First and Forever Father of All

Prince of Peace: Ruler, Captain, Chief, Commander of perfect peace and prosperity.

Which name of the Messiah will you hang your heart on to move forward? CREATE a piece of art or buy an item symbolizing the name you select.

When your heart feels heavy, thank God for Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23).

Pam Farrel is the Co-Director of Love-Wise and author of 52 books, including the newest 10 Best Decisions a Single Mom Can Make. She co-authored a book about hope, Discovering Hope in the Psalms: A Creative Bible Study Experience that can build your hope in God in 2021.

BONUS—Download these gifts from Pam to enrich your holiday: 

• Winter Wonderland Traditions to Bless Your Relationships;
• A devotion inspired by Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament: Creative Bible Study Experience on How “the Zeal of the Lord” Breaks the Burden (Isaiah 9:7) you may be feeling; and
• The Farrel family’s Christmas Dinner and Dialogue devotional, based on Isaiah 9:6.

3 Steps to Upgrade Your Time during the Holidays

Morgan Farr, an Army wife, has four children and a new puppy. You can imagine how she needs to wisely plan her days. But Morgan is one of the most organized gals I know. In this Christmas Time Management UPGRADE, she shares three steps that help her use her time wisely during the holiday season."When someone says—'Are you ready for the holidays?'—people often sigh and joke about all the things Santa has to get done with the help of his elves," Morgan says. "It seems the holidays produce a lot of anxiety and pressure for many people."

I (Dawn) remember what it was like to have two young boys as I rushed around preparing for Christmas. I could have used some of Morgan's expertise back then!

Morgan continues . . . 

As I have gotten older and become a mother, I realize the “magic of Christmas” is actually a lot of hard work by family members to help make the holiday season bright. 

But in the age of Covid, political unrest, racial tensions, and the rest of the challenges that 2020 has brought, how do you make the holiday season bright? 

And more importantly, how do you do it without having to add extra hours into your day?  

Step One: Get organized

The key to any good plan is structure and organization. 

Now before you panic, I am not saying you need an organized home in order to organize your time. What I am saying is that you need to start with a clear idea of what you need to do.

1. Weekly Planning Meeting

My husband and I have a weekly planning meeting every Sunday night. It doesn’t matter what is going on or if he is TDY with the military, we still connect for a minimum of 15 minutes every Sunday night to sync calendars, manage any scheduling conflicts, and discuss upcoming major events. 

This is also a good time to check on your family budget and make sure your finances are in order. If both parties come to the meeting prepared this should take no more than 30 minutes, but can help prevent major issues later in the week. 

2. Nightly List Write Up

Each night before I head upstairs for bed, I grab my 99 cent spiral notebook and make a to-do list for the next day. I use the same notebook each day so I can roll over any unfinished activities from the day prior if need be. 

This practice takes about 10 minutes total, but it saves me a lot of time the next morning, because I can just glance at the list to see what my next steps should be. It also helps to prevent me from freezing up and being unable to decide what to do next.

3. Daily Involvement 

Get the whole family involved in daily management tasks! Every single day, everyone in my family is involved in the daily aspects of helping to keep the house running. 

• My children help with sweeping, wiping counters, clearing the table, and taking out the trash every single day.
• When it is time to bring in groceries? You bet my kids help bring them inside and help put them away.
• Laundry? Everyone is responsible for putting away their own clothing. 

In the early years, this can seem counter productive, but if you want your children to do it when they are twelve, start with small tasks when they are two. This teaches responsibility while also helping to keep the house orderly.

Step Two: Out with the Bad, in with the Good 

We, as a society, fill our hearts and minds with the most ridiculous things.

We also waste a lot of time on things that have zero eternal significance while bemoaning the lack of time we have.

So to combat this I have a few simple recommendations. 

1. Cut the Cord 

Did you know that the average person spends five hours watching TV every single day? That translates to 35 hours a week—which is almost a full-time job! 

At the end of the holidays no one is going to be sitting there saying, “Man, I wish I had spent more family time watching Netflix.”

If you cut out even one hour per day of TV watching, that will give you back 7 hours in a week. That is almost a full workday! 

2. Use Caution 

I know that during the holidays it can be really tempting to sit on social media and scroll through everyone’s gorgeous family pictures. I love seeing how creative friends and family are with their holiday celebrations. 

However, in 2019, the average person spent an average of 2 hours and 22 minutes on social media every single day! That is 15 hours a week on social media, often when our children should be doing other things like school and work. 

Scale back on your social media time. 

If you need help, most smartphones, tablets, and computers offer a way to set time limits on apps. Set a time limit for yourself or have someone hold you accountable. 

Ultimately, no one will remember if your place setting was perfect for Instagram, or if the gifts were wrapped Pinterest perfect.

What people will remember is spending time—safely during Covid—with the people they love.

Make sure you are giving the gift of your presence this holiday season, not just presents. 

Step Three: Remember the Reason

Finally, remember the reason the holiday even exists.

There are some excellent advent devotionals available for both children and adults. (*)

I have also found that listening to the book of Luke on an audio Bible is really good for my heart. There are 24 chapters in Luke and reading or listening to one per day for the month of December leads me through Jesus' life while I am celebrating His birth.  

[Note: There are many audio Bibles on YouTube. Here are three of the Book of Luke: (NKJV), (KJV), and (NIV).]

"Jesus is the Reason for the Season."

That is the saying you can find all over decorations and signs during the holiday. As Christians, we need to remember the entire point of Christmas is to celebrates the coming of Jesus Christ and His eventual redemption of our sins. 

What we focus on during this season says a lot about our faith and what we believe about the importance of Christ’s birth.

Let’s make sure we are honoring God with our advent celebrations. 

Which step can you take to help upgrade your time this holiday season?

(*) If you need recommendations for advent devotionals, feel free to send me an email at my blog link, below. ~ Morgan

Morgan Farr is a Texas-loving, succulent-cultivating, book nerd. Stationed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this Army wife is learning to train dogs, developing her four young children, and tackling homeschool life… while moving all over the country. Morgan writes about her transition away from feminism and much more at The Forgiven Former Feminist.

I Love Christmas!

Kathi Macias gets us in the Christmas spirit today with this special UPLIFT story—encouragement that God still works miracles today!

"Before I launch into an elaborate explanation and lengthy list of why I absolutely adore Christmas," Kathi says, "let me preface it by saying—before someone else calls me on it—that I am fully aware of the fact that Jesus was most likely not born on December 25."

I (Dawn) think the important truth is that Jesus was born! The Bible and historical records testify to that fact.

Kathi continues . . .

Many of the trappings of our modern-day Christmas celebrations are rooted in pagan worship, just plain materialism and even greed.

But I still love Christmas. And something tells me I’m not alone.

Though I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, I was blessed to grow up in a time when most Americans—Christian or not—somehow included the celebration of the birth of Christ during that special season.

Many people who never set in foot in church the rest of the year found themselves drawn to the reverent hush of a candlelight service or a midnight mass. And nearly all Christmas trees and house/yard decorations included an acknowledgment to that aspect of the holiday.

We even put on Christmas plays at school, complete with the reading of the Christmas story from Luke 2.

When I was chosen in third grade to play the part of Mary, I was not only excited but somewhat awestruck. Each day during practice, I heard the “angel” reading the verses from Luke that told of the events of that magnificent night—whatever night on the calendar it may have been.

In fact, that was the first passage of scripture I memorized as a child, simply by hearing it over and over again.

Of course, we also celebrated the secular side of Christmas in our home.

When my brothers and I were very young, our German grandparents lived in the little one-bedroom house just behind ours. Because my dad worked rotating shifts, my parents and grandparents came up with a story to work around his schedule.

It seemed that Santa was quite accommodating and knew ahead of time what hours my dad would be working and when he would be home.

As a result, he would come to bring our gifts whenever it worked out for Dad to be there when we opened them.

If it was during the day of Christmas Eve (rather than during the night as it was for most families) we would go back to our grandparents’ home that day and wait—quietly and anxiously—until my mom came to tell us Santa had indeed arrived and made his delivery. Then, grandparents in tow, we would all hurry back to our place and gather around the tree.

Now my dad and his parents were German, born and raised there, so needless to say they were disciplined and expected us to be the same.

No mass tearing into packages, ripping off paper, squealing with delight, and then moving on to the next gift.

Nope, we did it all “decently and in order.”

Dad would choose one gift and hand it to the person whose name was on the tag. Then we would all wait and watch as that person opened the gift (saving the paper, of course) and showed it to everyone.

Not until we had all oohed and aahed sufficiently could we move on to the next one.

When it was all over, regardless of what time of day (or night) it might be, Dad and Omi (our German grandmother) would sing “O Tanenbaum” (“Oh, Christmas Tree”) and “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”).

I still can’t hear those songs without tearing up over the bittersweet memories.

I love Christmas too because of what it does to hearts everywhere.

We’ve all seen those Word War II movies where the American soldiers and the Nazis are firing at each other, and then someone begins to sing “Silent Night” and the shooting stops. For just a few hallowed moments, hostilities cease as the Prince of Peace is acknowledged and honored.

Sadly the truce is short-lived, but at least it happens long enough to acknowledge the true meaning of Christmas.

I must say, though, that one of the things I love most about Christmas is Christmas stories, whether books, TV shows, or movies. And there are so many good ones!

It scarcely seems like Christmas if we don’t gather in front of the fireplace and watch “A Christmas Story” (who doesn’t love Ralphie?) or “Miracle on 34^th Street,” does it?

In the past few years I’ve also seen a wonderful increase in publishers putting out Christmas stories—short stories, novellas, full-length novels—in almost any and all genres. We have so many to choose from, and I have yet to find one I didn’t like, have you?

A Heartwarming Christmas Miracle

I had an especially heartwarming experience when the publishing of my annual Christmas novel, Unexpected Christmas Hero*, resulted in what I consider a true Christmas miracle.

The story is about a little homeless family that is befriended by a homeless Vietnam vet, who happens to be quite ill. The publisher wanted to put a face on the book cover that would depict this vet, so they sent their photographer out to find someone who resembled him and would allow himself to be photographed for the cover.

He found someone who looked as if he’d been dropped out of heaven for just such a purpose—a dead-ringer for the Vietnam vet in the story.

When the photographer told the man what he was doing and asked if he would be willing to pose for the cover photo, he got tears in his eyes and said he actually was homeless and hadn’t seen his family in years. He hoped that by being on the cover he might somehow be reunited with his family.

When the photographer alerted me to this, I began an Internet campaign to find the man’s family. It took less than two weeks.

Then we launched a fundraiser and, thanks to generous readers, raised $3000 to enable this man to get together with his grown daughter and her children—the first time he’d met his grandchildren.

Definitely a Christmas miracle, wouldn’t you say?

And I strongly suspect it’s only one of many.

Regardless of what day Christ was actually born, we do know that the Prince of Peace did indeed come to earth in human form to make a once-for-all sacrifice so that we could all experience THE GREATEST MIRACLE EVER n our own lives—restoration to relationship with the Father.

And that, dear friends, is why I love Christmas so very much.

May yours be the most blessed ever!

Kathi Macias is an award-winning author of more than 50 books, including The Doctor’s Christmas Quilt. She lives in Southern California with her husband, Al, where they’re already loading up on firewood so they can sit in front of the fireplace and enjoy some of those wonderful Christmas stories that never grow old. Discover more about Kathi at www.kathimacias.com.

* Kathi has a number of Christmas-themed books:  Return to Christmas: A Novel, The Doctor's Christmas Quilt, Unexpected Christmas Hero, A Husband's Christmas Prayer, A Christmas Gift: A Novel, and A Christmas Journey Home: Miracle in the Manger.

Graphic Adapted, courtesy of Jonathan Borba at Unsplash.