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For our family, the focus of Christmas was Christmas Eve.  Yes, we shopped for presents, listened to Christmas music, put up a Christmas tree, looked forward to posole and tamales Christmas Eve, spent time with Joan’s family in Albuquerque or mine in Kansas, and opened presents Christmas morning. But, from the time our children were small, we always looked forward to a Christmas Eve church service followed by a family time. 

That time started with reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas” (with each member rubbing the fuzzy surface of Santa’s clothes), then several children’s books built around Jesus’ birth.  Next, I would read about His birth from the Bible and we would have a short time of prayer. The kids would then go off to bed while Joan and I finished wrapping presents. 

As our children became adults and we began adding grandchildren, we continued meeting at our house for Christmas and the Christmas Eve service followed by the family time (without changes – including the mandatory rubbing of Santa’s clothes).

Then the Lord sent Joan and me to Africa and we missed the tradition for 6 years.  In the U.S. the meeting place moved to our daughter’s home since she had children and our son was not yet married.  But, other than that, Christmas Eve was the same.

In Nigeria, things were different. The months leading up to Christmas were marked by an increased rate of armed robberies. And there were no Christmas Eve services because it was too dangerous to be out after dark. So Christian families gathered in their homes early. There was little outward evidence of Christmas and, because of unreliable phone service, the likelihood that we could communicate with our children in the U.S. was slim to none.  But we had God’s Word, knew His abiding presence, and had experienced His utter faithfulness, and they were more than enough.

Now that Joan and I are back in the U.S., we still meet at our daughter’s home as they did when we were gone.  And now that we have grown grandchildren (as well as an infant grandson), the tradition still holds, always ending with Scripture.

The time in Nigeria was a real blessing to us in many ways.  One of them was in moving more of the Point of Christmas more from our heads to our hearts.  No matter the tradition of the culture where one is living, there are things that are firm and unchangeable. 

Particularly that “God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son..”  By itself, that fact is an absolute wonder!  And He did it for a purpose “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). The accounts of His birth carry evidence that Jesus met all the requirements for the long awaited Savior of the world; the only One who could reconcile us to God as we put our faith in Him.

At the end of the day, our confidence and comfort are in Him and Him alone.  What a great privilege we have to be able to celebrate His birth openly and without fear!

May the reality of His presence fill you with His peace and joy this Christmas and always.

Christmas cards! A sparkly, happy and festive reminder of the people we care about reaching out to us, sharing their news and remembering us during the Holidays. With photos of happy, smiling families or reindeer smiling gaily you may hang them on your tree, a wreath, a swag across the door, or in some other Pinterest-worthy presentation.

The idea is almost antiquated, surpassed by technology, opportunity, and convenience. Yet, surprisingly, happily, the cards still come. Keeping us in touch with loved ones in a way that still surpasses Facebook.

But the holidays pass. We take down our decorations and then what? Do those cards go in the recycling or trash? Maybe you’re crafty and add them to a holiday book……but then the book ends up in the box with last year’s and the years’ before that, forgotten and collecting dust. A sweet reminder of friends, quickly laid aside, as the excitement of the New Year comes upon us.

What if there was a different way to “use” these Christmas Cards, one with a value greater than the glitter, foil-print, gloss and ribbon?

What if your Christmas Cards became Prayer Cards?

What if those Christmas letters sharing the excitement, success, perhaps sorrow, or changes of your friends’ and family’s previous year were used as an insight on how you can pray for them? Wouldn’t that change your perspective on Christmas cards completely? For them and for you!

Several years ago, close friends of ours, prayers warriors, shared how they “use” their Christmas Cards as Prayer Cards. As the Christmas Cards come in throughout the month of December, and a few in January, they are indeed used to decorate. But once the season is past, they are added to a simple basket on the dining room table.

At each meal throughout the year one card is taken out, perhaps the card or letter is reread, and then they pray over that family or individual. Specifically. By name. By occasion; giving thanks, supplication, or prayerful request.

This family now gets our card every year! We never know what day they might be praying for us. But HE does and they do. And we take strength from their commitment to caring for us. This has become our tradition, as well.

We keep a simple basket at our table, or sometimes on the mantle, filled with Christmas cards of the ones we love as a constant reminder to pray for friends and family, near and far. We pray for their lives; for their relationships; for their salvation. This is not saving the planet. We are not recycling.

We are reaffirming and reinvesting our love and commitment to family and friends throughout the year. We are re-dedicating ourselves and our lives to use God’s precious power to help those we love.

What would it look like for your family to pray over Christmas cards? How would it change your prayer life and the lives of those you care about most?

Anyone read “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”? Remember the mayhem of the Christmas pageant? That’s the Malizzos when it comes to traditions. Really. Some of the “traditions” I’ve come up with are fun: stockings, cookie exchanges, making ornaments (what was I thinking? Glitter….enough said), decorating, and Christmas cards. I’m a little tired just thinking about it.

What do my kids remember? Likely they will just remember stocking paraphernalia, cookie icing, glitter, and the cool lighty-up mini Christmas tree that they fought over. Not too bad. Fun memories certainly. We celebrate Christmas with all of our fun, and there’s nothing wrong with that but what about Christ?

Are these “traditions” just giving a nod to a baby in a manger so we can get on with the gifts?

To be honest, I don't have very Christ-celebrating fruit when I push for “my” traditions. Christ’s fruit (joy, peace, and patience, to name a few) are festivity-ed out of my heart. And then - true confession - I end up feeling guilty. Guilty for spending too much money; guilty for sort of mixing culture with sacred; guilty for personally not focusing on the Messiah King more than decking the halls.

If that’s me celebrating Christmas then what does it look like for me to celebrate Christ?

Funny enough, it’s the traditions that I really have very little to do with. It’s lingering fellowship with dear friends around our kitchen table, movies with others, time away from the crazy to be a family, and PJ’s until noon. It’s eating cookies together with milk and hot chocolate while staying up past bed time. It’s reading “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” as a family. It is NOT anything having to do with glitter because glitter is just wrong.

These are the things that make me dwell on how “the Savior reigns” and make me want to “repeat the sounding joy”. They are Kingdom gifts as are Christ choosing to wrap Himself in flesh, choosing to be a servant rather than a king, and choosing to give His perfection to us and die as the guilty in our place. And they turn my heart to worship the baby in the manger and not just give a nod.

Celebrating Christ during Christmastime, by enjoying his gifts, trumps the mayhem of the Christmas pageant and brings rest.

As we come together on Sunday morning, it strikes me that God is often at work in ways that don’t receive a lot of attention. Sometimes, we just don’t realize how God is using our brothers and sisters.

Did you know that there are small groups that enter the public schools on a weekly basis to teach children about our Savior through His Word? Bible Club incorporates songs, snacks, and silliness for sure, but there is a desperate dedication to impart the beautiful Truth that impacts eternity.

Pamela Oliva is one of these gentle attendants. But the love blazes out when she talks about these little ones is contagious. She speaks of foster children, children being raised by grandparents, children whose lives are in turmoil, who for one hour each week have an anchor in their storm. They come, they hear, and sometimes God will open their eyes to see Him.

Celestial (not her real name) is one such child. Raised by Wiccans who were eager to have one more hour for her to be occupied elsewhere, she started coming to Bible Club. At first, it may have been for the candy. But Pamela noticed a change in her. There was a lightening in her spirit and her temperament. She hated to leave when the time finished. The Word was at work! And Bible Club didn’t just minister to her; her teen brother felt the impact of Christ’s love when he would sullenly show up to fetch her. It started with Pamela offering him a lollipop while he waited for them to finish, and with a pastor taking a sincere interest in him and engaging him in conversation. By the end of the year, both Celestial and her brother had changed radically. Did they accept the Lord as their Savior? Pamela does not know for sure, but she can attest that there was a real transformation.

The most difficult aspect of Bible Club is that it is hard for the leaders to interact with the parents. Other than a quick greeting at the pick-up, there is just not a lot of time to build relationship.

So, we invited them to dinner and a puppet show … and they said YES!

Would you like the chance to meet, love, and show hospitality to families in the community? This is the most amazing part – God is bringing the community to US! The dinner is this Tuesday night here at MCC and we would love if you would partner with us!

There are three ways that you could participate:

1. Do you want to come and break bread? Please contact Elizabeth and RSVP so we know how many to plan for!
2. Not able to come? Can you help provide the food? We are doing a taco bar and need a variety of things to make it happen. Please sign up Sunday so we know what we will have.
3. Most importantly – will you join us in prayer?

Pray for the Lord to prepare hearts to hear the Gospel on Tuesday night. Pray that we will be a blessing, that we will serve them in a way that reflects the love of our Savior. Pray that we will be transformed by our interactions.

Pray for protection for the club leaders – physical, mental, and spiritual. Pray for their stamina and strength as they continue to humbly serve in His name through His Word.

Pray for the children who come. Pray that they will grow in the Lord, pray that their parents will come to Christ and that families will be drawn to worship the Lord in churches on Sunday mornings.

“Dear Heavenly Father,

… As my family prepares to celebrate the arrival of your Son, help me instill in my little ones awe, reverence, and a sense of the beauty of the season. Keep us from frantic activity. Guide us toward times of peace and reflection. Let the focus be on you, dear Lord, rather than material things. Order my priorities: family time over perfect decorations; quiet moments around the dinner table valued above gourmet meals; carols sung and cookies baked instead of another trip to the mall. Let my life reflect your love, and in this reflection draw my little ones closer to you. …Amen.” (by Cindy Crosby)

This has been my unspoken goal every Christmas season since I read that article 12 years ago. 

I suppose our Advent Traditions are the most intentional piece of this goal. One year I found a ‘great’ idea online. It consisted of making a holiday craft every day of December leading up to Christmas. Ha! That lasted about 3 days!

I quickly learned that our traditions MUST be simple. 

We have a few favorite traditions that we have tried and enjoyed through the years. The easiest for me has been reading “The Advent Jesse Tree” by Dean Lambert.  Each day’s devotion is about one page (short) and goes through the history of God’s redemption beginning with creation and sin, and ending with our Savior born in a manger. I created clip art for my kids to decorate with glitter glue. Most years I made a tree out of construction paper on the wall for the kids to tape their ornaments to.  A small tree on a table would be even easier!

Another favorite book has been “Unwrapping the Greatest Gift” by Ann Voskamp. The stories are a bit longer, but are written more as a story and the pictures are lovely.  I was able to print ornament-sized pictures to color and put on our ‘tree’.

Another favorite tradition is a quiz! On Christmas Eve Micah would play a game quizzing the kids to see how much they remembered from our devotions? Correct answers moved the Christmas Morning wake-up time earlier; incorrect answers moved the wake-up time later!

Our kids’ favorite (but most difficult for me) is our Advent Scavenger Hunt.  Before December 1^st I wrap all the pieces of our three nativity sets into tissue paper. Each day in December we read a Bible passage and I send the kids on a scavenger hunt to find the nativity piece that corresponds with that verse.  By December 25^th all the pieces have been found and the nativity sets are complete.

Another idea that I used one year was to wrap all our Christmas books in tissue paper and let the children choose one book to read each evening in December. (I think that unwrapping gifts is the most fun so why not give the kids something to unwrap?)

Other traditions include: swapping out our regular mugs for Christmas mugs during the month of December; wearing Santa hats while delivering home-baked cookies to neighbors and taking turns opening gifts Christmas morning so that we can enjoy each present as they are opened. And we throw the wrapping into the middle of the floor. The bigger the pile the better!

There are so many ways to celebrate the Christmas season, and it’s impossible to do EVERYTHING every year! I really try to keep the Christmas season enjoyable for our family. If something is causing stress then we don’t do it. What’s the point if everyone is grumpy about the preparations? 

Twelve years ago when I first read that article, Tristan was 4; now he is 16, Emily is 12, and Katie is 10. Time does fly by!

Choose what matters to YOUR family and focus on those traditions!

May God’s love transform you into a light that shines for HIM this CHRIST-mas Season!