GETTING INTO THE SPIRIT

1. Share your family traditions for Christmas and/or Advent

The night before Christmas, we go to church and have a nice dinner.  On Christmas we have a birthday cake and sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.  We read Christmas stories, watch DVDs, make cookies and decorate them, we have a stuffed elf that visits and "wreaks havoc" (in a fun way) at night for 5 nights prior to Christmas, we get our kids picture made with Santa and display them to see the growth the kids, we hget a new ornament that shows the personality of each child that year and one for my husband and I together that has the year on it.  I always have an ornament exchange with my girlfriends each year.  Chirstmas is my favorite holiday and we focus on Christ as we do all year long.  

2. List 10 ways that you can prepare for the season

• Take Christmas picture and have it made into cards, also write Christmas prayer letter.
• Organize calendar and decide what to do and when to leave my folks home.
• Hire sitters when needed
• Address Christmas cards
• make a few maels ahead of time to freeze
• wrap Christmas gifts for relatives and give to thenm at Thanksgiving to save on shiopping them
• buy gifts all year when they are on sale, but keep a list so you do not over buy
• make sure the kids have appropriate outfits for church on and before Christmas
• plan dishes that you wikll need to take for parties and cookies for exchanges and start buying stuff little by little.
• Pray each day that the Lord will guide during Christmas time that we might be a blessing to each person we meet.

1. Post a scripture that will help you "Get into the Spirit

I am not sure that this get me in the mood, but I have it on my fridge to read daily

"Be very acreful, then, how you live- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."

Ephesians 5:15-17