How We Do Christmas

You want to talk about “didn’t see that coming” moments… not celebrating Christmas was definitely one of them for our family.

I grew up obsessed with all things Christmas. It began November first, we took a momentary pause for thanksgiving, and then resumed festivities until January 1st. 

Our family made all sorts of goodies, created amazing traditions and when Christmas Day rolled around, you bet you’re butt I was the first one awake checking under the tree.

Hopefully that sets the stage for how drastically things have shifted in our home - know that it wasn’t a decision I took lightly. 

Now, before I dive into how our convictions led our family down this road - keep in mind that we aren’t all convicted of the same things at the same time… or ever. This is something that our family has had to walk through intentionally despite our own desires and it’s brought us to where we are today. There is zero judgement or disrespect on our end for how you choose to celebrate! 

So where did this begin?

Santa. Good old jolly Saint Nick is where the conviction crept in. 

We teach our children not to go to strangers and to be in control of their bodies and then we take them to go see a random man dressed up as Santa and encourage them to sit on his op for a picture? It didn’t make sense. 

When my kids refused to sit on Santa’s lap and I didn’t force them to - the relief I saw on their faces broke my heart and led Jason and I to talk about honesty and trust with our children and how the decisions we make today impact their future. Telling them a random magical man goes down our chimney and brings them presents only if they’re not naughty was a big ole fat LIE.  Would it be fun when they are young? Sure! Would there come a time where our integrity and trust would be questioned by our children - also yes. That was 100% off the table for us. 

Santa got cut immediately… being honest mattered more to us.

Each year we felt more convictions until we landed on the fact that even though we said “Jesus is the reason for the season” we were making it all about us.

What gifts do I want on my list?

What things can I go to to bring me joy?

What ornament do I want to add to the tree this year so I like looking at it even more?

Me. Me. Me.

When Jason suggested to not put up the Christmas tree I near about lost it and in that moment I realized the idols I was creating. The reality is - tree or no tree, gifts or no gifts - it doesn’t change anything in regards to the love Jesus has for me. It was something I found happiness and joy in and it was not rooted in Jesus. As parents, we are setting the tone and mirroring behaviors for our children and that wasn’t one I liked. 

Decorations and false idols - cut. 

As a family we began diving deeper into the Bible and asking more questions which has brought us here!

Our mouths said that Jesus was the center of it all, but our actions didn’t match our words. 

So last year, we prayed harder than ever before and began analyzing how we could more intentionally glorify God in this season. 

Here is where our conviction brought us…

We realized that this holiday caused our family unnecessary stress, created idols, brought us further away from God, and was over commercialized. We wanted off this ride. 

We are in this world, but we are absolutely not of it- and we wanted to be an example for our children. 

Choosing not to celebrate has been one of the most challenging obstacles to navigate in the world we are living in. 

Well meaning strangers ask our children. “What is Santa bringing you for Christmas?” and “have you been naughty or nice?”

Stores are covered head to toe in Christmas decor and holiday music…

Our friends and family don’t all feel the same conviction we do…and that’s ok. We aren’t all convicted of the same things at the same times.

It’s almost as if you’re an outcast if you’re a Christian and don’t catch the “holiday spirit”...but honestly the only spirit we care about is the Holy Spirit. 

So how do we navigate the holidays as a family?

Instead of falling into our old ways of putting ourselves first, we intentionally read the book of Luke each night leading up to Christmas Day. There are 24 chapters and it so beautifully created conversations of gratitude for the gospel. 

We fellowship weekly and break bread with people we love. I host a bible study called Farm and Fellowship and have a couple of families come over to talk about life & break bread together. Highly recommend!

Gifts aren’t given for Christmas Day, we give throughout the year and serve as we feel called to. Our kids don’t mind one bit. We lean into experices together and create a life so rich in togetherness. 

We create traditions around Jesus that our family looks forward to like making ginger bread nativity scenes, watching superbook episodes that line up with what we are learning in Luke, honoring the Sabbath and fun family nights.

We respect others who celebrate this season differently than we do and are so thankful we are surrounded with friends who do the same! 

We are still growing on our journey with navigating the holidays - but we are loving how intentional it has made us about putting God first in our lives.