Christmas Craze

Christmas is a magical time of year, but is it magical for all the right reasons?

I have been sucked in this week by the Christmas Craze. What is the Christmas Craze? It is the deep, burning desire (and personal commitment) to complete 100% of my Christmas shopping prior to Thanksgiving. It is the marathon of all marathons, the Iron Man of Holiday Shopping, the Olympics of Christmas...well, you get the point. It is a feat that I have attempted many times and achieved only a handful of times (and I honestly think the times I did achieve it were pre-marriage and pre-motherhood).

I've been putting a dent in it, but there is still so much more to do! Jacob has been along for the ride, too!

While I have quite honestly been sucked into this Christmas Craze and have been on fire with my Christmas shopping (and spending) this week, I am reminded what Christmas is truly about and what I want my child to understand Christmas to be.

Christmas isn't shopping, gifts, Santa, lights, trees, decorations, etc. While those things are nice and magical and add a special spirit to the season, they are not the whole picture. What I want most of all this year is for our little boy to begin to learn and understand that Christmas is about the birth of Christ and without Him, we would be lost eternally.

Christmas is about one bright star, one young girl, a betrothed man who understood the meaning of commitment, and one small child; God in the form of man. It is about the miracle of life. The life of Christ and the gift of eternal life we are granted through His death on the cross. Christmas is magical. Let's keep it magical for all the right reasons this year.

So while you might be like me and have all your shopping done or you're the polar opposite and put it off till the last minute, please remember this season to step back from it all and enjoy Christmas for all the right reasons. Don't let Christ get lost in the shuffle.