This post is part of the Best Christmas EVER series here at I Choose Brave. You can find more Christmas posts here and here and I have plenty more scheduled to come your way soon!
I spent Saturday evening at a Christmas craft night for ladies, held at a local church. I had no idea what I was getting into, really, I just wound up in a conversation with a couple of other ballet moms while we watched our little girls practice Saturday morning.
Next thing I know they brought up the event. “There are only a few tickets left”. “I’ll go if you do”. And I was committed.
I don’t even love to do crafts, honestly. And isn’t it a little early to be celebrating Christmas? What ever happened to Thanksgiving anyhow?
Yet with nearly one hundred other women from my small town I ventured to the church Saturday night. In a quiet room we sang Christmas carols and walked through scripture for a few minutes.
What would it have been like to be Mary? In the time and space of 2000 years we tend to gloss over the events that changed history, changed the world, and wrap the whole ordeal up in a tidy little package. We put it on shelf in our hearts like a Little People Nativity.
Can I tell you, I love the Little People Nativity. We have one we pull out every year. But at some point, shouldn’t we pull back the layers a bit? Shouldn’t we move beyond molded plastic images and think about what a virgin birth really meant – for Mary, for Joseph, for the entire world. These people, fully human, caught up in the greatest love story ever told yet with the dirt and grime of life and lowliness and other people’s opinions. Shouldn’t we, at some point, just stop and think about the weight of knowing you are bearing the son of God?
Can we even wrap our minds around that?
So Saturday we did that. We parked there a bit. We snacked on beautifully baked treats and made a nativity craft to usher the reminder, a little piece of this night, back into our homes.
And I truly could not think of a better way to begin the season.
Many people think we shouldn’t celebrate Christmas until after Thanksgiving, and I get that, I do. But at the same time much of the world begins their celebrations with a nose dive into a weekend of shopping, either online or in stores, taking on Christmas consumerism in full force. I’m not knocking shopping, friends. I will be there too. But I’d much rather start early and set my mind, my heart, where it needs to be and fight to keep it there this entire, beautiful season.
I’m kicking Christmas off a little early this year. Maybe you should too!
Coming tomorrow: Thoughts on advent and ideas to get you started and….a giveaway as well!
And if you want to give this craft a try on your own, there are plenty of links on Pinterest. Like this one here.
Thank you for the reminder that we can kick off Christmas early, God’s way. I’ll be there the day after Thanksgiving too, but my heart needs to be in the right place 1st.
I love this, Katie! Whenever I’m questioned about celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving, I simply tell the questioner that I am thankful for my Savior’s birth. I get excited every year for the beginning of Advent. I want my home and my heart prepared to open up the Bible and remember the Fall and the pain and the prophecy and the hope and anticipation.
I know this may be a little crazy, but my goal each year is to be completely done with Christmas shopping by December 1 so that our family can focus on the reason for the season. It also opens up more opportunities for us to serve.
Thanks for sharing with us why you, too, are kicking off Christmas early this year! I love it!
Kelsey, I think that is awesome! You are the second person who I’ve heard does that and I’m starting to wonder if I can pull that off. It’s a fabulous idea!
Lovely post. You are just like your Dad when it comes to the holidays. Always can’t wait to get started. We are listening to holiday music already.
Christmas music, Mom. You are listening to Christmas music. 😉 And I’m blessed to have parents who rooted me in a love for the season. 💕