Preparing for Christmas

Monday, December 12, 2011

Christmas is a season of preparation. We prepare our homes, we stock our pantries and we prepare gifts for our loved ones. We are often being asked how we're doing with our preparations and the answers vary but are about the same. I wonder what would happen if we changed the types of questions we ask this time of year. What if the main question we got was "Is your heart ready for Christmas?"
Another good questions is, "how do you go about preparing your heart for Christmas?" I believe that focusing on the true meaning of Christmas is fundamental. For mothers with small kids, it's important to use repetition before, during and after the Christmas season. 
Right now my kids are learning about Christmas at church, so what I do is repeat their lesson during the week. I also use their kid's Bible (and let me tell you, the illustrations are awesome) to tell a little bit of the story each day. 
As far as my own heart, what I try to do is focus by reading about the Christmas story from the different Gospels and also the related passages in the old Testament. It's important for me to read it for myself an remember what an amazing gift Jesus is to me.
Now that I'm pregnant, the Christmas story has special meaning. I have written about the story of Mary and Elisabeth during my While I Wait series and I reminded of their story during this special season. 
I wonder: how do you prepare your heart for this season?
LifenotesEncouragement said...

you're pregnant - how'd i miss that? Congrats!

Cintia Listenbee said...

Thanks Nylse!

Andrew said...

After years of deliberation, we are finally using an advent wreath this year. Every day we light the candles, say a prayer service, and read the story of the week out of the children's Bible. The boys get so excited about this time and the light of the candle, just like the presence of Christ, calms everyone down at meal times. Ezra and I had a great conversation this week about getting ready for special people coming to your house(per Ezra: Clean, put on clothes, don't play with toys, fix food like brownies). Then we talked about how we can prepare our hearts for Jesus coming (forgive others, love everyone, eat healthy food :) ). It's sweet to watch my wise three year old make the connections!

Andrew said...

So, I'm currently writing under Andrew's account :) Ryann