Christmas has come and gone

Those who read my blog on a more regular basis have probably wondered what happened to my blog and why I haven’t written anything new for some time.

 

Well, I have been on leave from 23 December 2005 until today 3 January 2006. I decided that I would not blog at all during this period just so that I could get a proper break from everything.

 

Christmas is a special time in our family--especially the extended family with grandparents, aunts/uncles and cousins of our children--and so we go all out in decorating our houses for Christmas. So, like my mother-in-law says, we are creating happy memories for our children.

 

However, one of the memories that always stick in my mind from Christmas, and that is almost any Christmas, is the fact that Santa Claus rules Christmas when it comes to displays. It is extremely difficult, almost impossible, to find something as part of the Chistmas decoration for homes that actually point to Jesus Christ and His birth.

 

So, even in our homes, there is very little by way of decorations that point to Jesus. This saddens me greatly!

 

On Christmas Eve the extended family always sit up till midnight, at which the children are woken up for the annual Christmas gift-fest! However, right after supper the children usually present the adults with a little Christmas show. This year's (2005) show has definitely been the best. There were a couple of different dance numbers to some contemporary Christian music, which was followed by 3 Bible readings (2 from Psalms and 1 from Matthew). This again was followed by prayers from each of the kids and it was all ended by a creative movement to a worship song in which we were invited to join in worship. The children really excelled in their little production and we are all so proud of them. The adults are not involved in this production at all. It is created and performed by the kids alone! The eldest of the lot turns 11 on February 1.

 

It is always so good to see that even when the world can only see Santa Claus, our own kids still see Jesus as the ONLY reason for the season!

 

The new year has come and so we have to mostly go through everything that we went through last year. So, as a new year's wish I would like to bless you with the following:

 

(24) The LORD bless you and keep you; (25) the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; (26) the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Num 6:24-26 ESV

 

Just thinking...