Holidays in Hand

I'm taking the "Holidays in Hand" class from Jessica Sprague - I was intrigued after Ali Edwards mentioned it on her blog when she posted some about her December Daily album recently. I recently found an 8x8 red scrapbook in my stash and thought I'd like to do something to record our family's holiday season this year - and I knew something like Ali's "December Daily" album might be my "something". Then she posted about the class Jessica is having and it took me all of a second to flip over and sign up. Not to mention...it's free. Hello! That's my kind of price!!

So, our first assignment was actually from yesterday and I didn't get to it. I'm doing it now that I've had some time to think it over. Jessica asked that we write down (or blog) our values and goals - what we really want for the holiday season. Write it down so we have something measurable. Oooh, accountability. She's already on my toes! But I like it!! :) I need that.

I want the holiday season to be more worship-filled for our family. I plan on doing that in several ways - I want to teach my children Christmas hymns. Carols are fine and fun and have their place, but if I really believe that He made Himself nothing and took on a servant's nature then I need to be prepared to teach my kids to reach beyond Jingle Bells and make our holidays HOLY-days. I want to find books to read during our school time that emphasize the story of the Incarnation. I want to read Luke's account of Christ's birth - both aloud to the children and in my own quiet time.

Christmas falls in the middle of a very hectic season of life for us - it's right in the middle of basketball season. I don't want that busy-ness to distract from the joy of the season! I want to be prepared - and that means filling my freezer now with dinners we can do easily on nights that we don't see Daddy. That may seem like a horribly practical thing...what? you want to make dinners ahead and put them in your freezer? That's one of your goals for the holiday? No, actually it's one of my goals for the next two weeks so I can face a busy month with a smile - knowing I'm prepared for whatever it dishes out!

There are a few other things I want for the holiday season - teaching my children to think of others (Elizabeth and I have already started - she wants to make Christmas cards for her friends that includes an ornament); handcrafting gifts - including baked goods; sharing our time and talents through crafting and baking.

Above all, I want my children to know gentleness from me throughout the season - and the only way to make that happen is to make my life more worship-filled before I get there.