What’s It All About?

We put up our Christmas decorations last weekend.  Oh, this is by far my favorite time of the year.

The problem is… I’ve got high expectations for our decorating time, and it rarely goes as I plan it to in my mind.  Here is what I WANT it to be like:

• Christmas music playing in the background.
• Excitement in our voices as we unwrap each decoration looking for the perfect location to display it.
• A pleasant walk down memory lane when we hang ornaments on the tree.
• Laughing, singing and joy from every family member.
• Sharing what we hope Santa brings us (aka probing for ideas).

Ha!  Like that ever happens!  This was a more realistic look at our decorating time:

• Wayne was secretly mad at me for an earlier event so was uncharacteristically moody.
• Sara was running a fever and feeling awful so had no energy.
• Sam was making weird – and annoying – noises with his mouth.
• I had a Black Friday shopping hangover so was quick to anger.

It was not pretty.  We ended up fighting and rolling eyes at each other.  Sara cried.  Sam continued with the noises until we sent him to his room.

The Christmas music channel somehow turned into the Hannah Montana show.   Out of frustration, we threatened to tell Santa to skip our house.  No one was laughing.

The decorating became a chore.  Yuck…

Every year I do this.  I have an idea in my mind how things should go and then find myself frustrated and annoyed when reality strikes.  Which it always does… duh.

Do you ever think like that?

Is it too much to ask for everything to go my way?  Why can’t my family just focus on my worldly, selfish desires for this holiday?  Sometimes I just want what the world says we should want.

I need to get over myself.

Well, we called a family meeting so we could nip this in the bud.  We talked with the kids about how Jesus’ birthday has been kidnapped by the world and put on steroids.  Rather than focus on what His birth afforded us as children of God, we instead focus on all things material.

Even the kids recognized they too get caught up in what the world offers.

The Scott family 4 decided to do something about it.  We agreed to be deliberate in shifting our perspective.  We’re taking a stand and reclaiming what this season is about.  Instead of breeding unattainable expectations that feed selfish desires, we’re going to instead remember what this time of year is all about.

Our plan is simple.

When one of us shouts, “What’s it all about?” the others respond, “the manger!” That saying has become our little reality check when it seems we’re getting a lot out of hand.

If we are not deliberate about it, we’ll find ourselves swimming up the same stream as everyone else.  No, thank you.

Tell me… what are you doing to keep Jesus as the reason, this season?

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