LET IT BE CHRISTMAS!

One of my very favorite Christmas songs is "Let It Be Christmas" by Alan Jackson (#1 on my playlist, bottom right on the sidebar). It has special meaning to our family because Josh likes to sing the first line in a big, booming voice. It always  makes me miss him --- just like it does to watch the movie ELF or see the Egg Nog in the grocery store. Sorry, Josh, I was just having a moment. That is not the point of this post. . . .

Years ago  I  struggled with how to teach my children the true meaning of Christmas and still have fun with Santa.  Then I discovered this wonderful figurine, titled "The Kneeling Santa". Along with it I found an article that tied it all together for me:

     "In Clement Moore's poem, 'The Night Before Christmas', St. Nick gives solely out of love and wants nothing in return.
     In the Charlie Brown story the Christmas tree is meager and lopsided until love makes it glow.
     And unselfish, Rudolph guides Santa and his sleigh through deep fog with his loving beacon of light.
     Even the mean old Grinch learns that it was love, not the gifts he had stolen, that brought joy to the folks of Whoville."

During this time I also attended a Holiday Seminar at Victoria Community Church in Riverside, where Emily Barnes spoke about having a Christ-Centered Christmas.  That was a life-changing day for me!  She shared lots of ideas on how to incorporate nativities and other reminders of the Saviour in all our Christmas decorating and celebrating.  One comment she made was that "the minute your friends and family walk up to your door, let them know what Christmas means to you".  Since then I have added many nativity sets to my collection, especially ones my children could play with and enjoy.  I selected Christmas cards and even stamps that reflected my feelings that Christmas was about the birth of Jesus Christ.  Today there are so many great choices to help teach about the true meaning of Christmas from ornaments to puppets and toys to advent calendars.  And I will be forever grateful to Emilie Barnes for introducing me to the Christmas music of Amy Grant, who quickly became one of my all time favorites. 

This week I found this wonderful little blog on facebook, [through being friends with SugarDoodle.  They have the cutest links and ideas.]  SugarDoodle is truly my favorite facebook friend.  I love my new nativity button! It links you to a daily Christ-centered quote about Christmas.  So, this year, this blog background is as close as this home will come to decorating for Christmas.  After being gone for a week to Idaho for Thanksgiving, we will be in Louisiana for a week during Christmas, and then we move  the day after we get home.  Even I, who adores all things Christmas and believes you can never have enough ornaments or even trees from which to hang said ornaments from --- cannot figure out a way to justify decorating  or putting up a tree this year whilst packing up our home of 16 years.  When I saw this blog background, it made me smile and filled heart. Simple pleasures.  And I love the way the nativity blog button is the first thing you see next to the tree.

 LET IT BE CHRISTMAS

Let it be Christmas, everywhere

In the hearts of all people both near and afar

Christmas everywhere

Feel the love of the season wherever you are

On the small country roads lined with green mistletoe

Big city streets where a thousand lights glow

Let it be Christmas everywhere

Let heavenly music fill the air

Let every heart sing let every bell ring

The story of hope and joy and peace

And let it be Christmas everywhere 

Let heavenly music fill the air

Let anger and fear and hate disappear

Let there be love that lasts through the year

And let it be Christmas

Christmas everywhere

Let it be Christmas everywhere

With the gold and the silver, the green and the red

Christmas everywhere

In the smiles of all children asleep in their beds

In the eyes of young babies their first fallen snow

Elderlys' memories that never grow old

Let it be Christmas everywhere

Let heavenly music fill the air

Let every heart sing let every bell ring

The story of hope and joy and peace

And let it be Christmas everywhere 

Let heavenly music fill the air

Let anger and fear and hate disappear

Let there be love that lasts through the year

And let it be Christmas

Christmas everywhere

Let it be Christmas everywhere

In the songs that we sing and the gifts that we bring

Christmas everywhere

In what this day means and what we believe

From the sandy white beaches where blue water rolls

Snow covered mountains and valleys below

Let it be Christmas everywhere

Let heavenly music fill the air

Let every heart sing let every bell ring

The story of hope and joy and peace

And let it be Christmas everywhere

Let heavenly music fill the air

Let anger and fear and hate disappear

Let there be love that lasts through the year

And let it be Christmas

Christmas everywhere 

Christmas everywhere

Christmas everywhere