Preparing for Christmas

I have been thinking lately that, while it really irritates me to see all the Christmas stuff in the shops already... it might be a good idea to follow through with the plans I make every year and start thinking about what I can do now to prepare for Christmas. To make it a beautiful and memorable time together with family, reflecting on Christ's birth, instead of a time when we are all a bit stressed and flustered and irritable with one another... collapsing on boxing Day glad that it's all over.

These thoughts also tie in with reading this blog about raising contented kids, (esp the bit about contentment starting with us) and my own thoughts about contentment and the new creative streak of late. I'd like to hand make as many gifts as I can, as well as preparing people(family members) for and sounding out how they feel about getting and giving gifts like those from TEAR, SIM and Baptist World Aid. My idea is to spend half on a gift for the person they can unwrap and half on one of these. We did this last year with Dave's Mum's side and I think it worked, I hope people will be happy with that... (best of both worlds)

It will also include a return to fly lady for her tips and ideas for getting ready for Christmas and making a plan of what I'm going to make when and how and for whom, as well as the list of those I need to buy things for. I'll also encourage my fam to start writing wish lists via last years blog, which always makes things easier (when you have a direction)

At the end of the day I want my kids to reflect back on Christmas and feel warm and fuzzy, to remember the special dessert of drink they loved, the family traditions and rituals and the love felt between us! I want them to enjoy giving to others and that to be a great focus to them and for them to be happy and thankful for what the receive! I want them to really know that Christmas is about Christ's birth and why that is important. More than anything I want that to be real and meaningful to them!

I think that being involved with things like the Christmas Child shoe boxes, getting them to make things for others and thinking about the traditions we would like to do, putting as much time and effort and emphasis on that as gift stuff (if not more)

When I think about that is it really surprising that kids focus on the presents part of Christmas, if that is what they see us putting effort into, running around and stressing about? Do you have any more ideas for helping prepare of a helpful focus on Christmas and what its really about!