Looking For the Right Thing This Christmas

Christmas is a wonderful time of year for me and, although I’m missing several family members (Jonathan is now married, and both Kathryn and her family and Stephen are half a country away), I still find much to rejoice about.  After all, Christmas is not just about family.

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I remember a Christmas many years ago when they said that the star of Bethlehem had reappeared.  Of course, this had my little brain scrambling.  "Does that mean there’s another Jesus?  Where could he be?”  I looked and looked out the frosty window, but couldn’t seem to see what everyone else around me was seeing.  None of the stars looked at all like the one on the top of my tree!  In reality, I was looking for the wrong thing.

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My brothers and sister had spotted what they called “The Star of Bethlehem,” and were pointing and laughing.  To this day, I have no idea what star it was that they saw,  but they seemed thrilled that they found what they wanted – the very Star of Bethlehem!  Or, at least that’s what they thought.  They may very well have been mistaken, but it got me thinking.

Isn’t that what so many of us do at Christmastime?  We look for the wrong thing.  No matter how much we know that happiness is not in possessions, we still get like giddy children on Christmas morning when we get just what we want.  And we can be quite downcast when we don’t get what we want.

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And then the family comes to visit, and if it’s just right, we’re so happy.  But if a tiff starts up between some siblings, or if Aunt Suzie burns the rolls, it could ruin our day!  Why?  Because we were looking for the wrong thing.  We were looking for a perfect Holiday, or some glorious Little-House-on-the-Prairie-moment, rather than a simple celebration of the Saviour coming to earth.

What are we looking for this Christmas?  Are we perhaps looking for the wrong thing?  Do those around us see it, are they pointing and ribbing each other, while we stand at the window not seeing?  Let us think carefully about our Holiday, keeping our spiritual eyes looking for Jesus, and we will not turn away from the window disappointed.

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Merry Christmas, dear ones!  I hope your Holidays are full of the wonderful things of God.

10 Tips for Saving Money During the Holidays

"I'll be green for Christmas..."

Well, Hell-oween is over, and as soon as the “holiday” was over, the stores quickly shifted their products and put the helloween stuff on clearance and made room for Christmas items!

I don’t know about you, but when I looked around at the stores this week and noticed all the Christmas decoration, products, and gifts, I thought to myself, This is amazing!  There’s hardly a mention of Thanksgiving; these people go right from Halloween to Christmas!  That makes the Christmas season two months long!!

Yes, that’s right, folks…two months long!  That’s an incredibly long holiday season! 

That means that we may be in the stores, see the decorations, hear the music, and want to buy something because, after all, “it’s the Holidays!”  Then, as Christmas get closer, we feel that we have to buy something, because it’s Christmas!  So, in reality, we may be spending twice as much money as we normally would!

And I think the merchants really like that.

However, most of us don’t have as much money as the sand of the seashore, so we need to be careful about our expenses.  Of course, being good stewards of what God has given us requires of to be careful.

So how can you save some money this Holiday season?  Well, I’ll tell you some of the things I do.

1.       Remember that the Holidays are not about money, but about celebrating the birth of the Lord Jesus.  His wonderful gift to us is what we appreciate, and we give to others because we have been so freely given to.  So, really, it’s ok not to spend yourself into oblivion and put yourself into debt until March; give out of what you have, not what you don’t have.  And enjoy the Lord and your family.

2.      Keep in mind that moderation is best in all these areas.  Just as it’s not good to indulge your taste buds constantly, you don’t need to go hog-wild over décor.  Use what you have.

3.      Thrift stores are GREAT places for decorations!  My daughter Kathryn is a professional thrift store shopper (not really, but it sounds good!), and she is also a tremendous decorator.  She tells me that she gets all her décor – I mean ALL – at her local thrift stores.  There’s a certain joy when you find something nice for an excellent price.

4.       Be moderate with baking.  Remember there will be a ton of sweets during this time of year; you don’t need to add to it by making another ton.  Enjoy Thanksgiving pies and cookies, and Christmas candy, but do not enjoy them for the next two months, or you will wear them!

5.       Plan carefully before you buy your presents.  Taking a little bit of time every day to think about what to get for who may save you a LOT of money.

6.      Shop around!   Once you decide what to get for who, look for a good buy on that item.  Stores make the most money on impulse buys; don’t let it be money out of your pocket.

7.       Shop online, either on Ebay, Craigslist, or Amazon.  You can avoid almost all impulse buys by simply not going into the store!  

8.      Save money on postage by using drop-shipping.  I have learned that many companies will wrap items for you and send them directly to your recipient, keeping you from having to pay postage twice!  Postage can be a major killer if you have family you like to send things to, like me!  Also, since storage space for presents is an issue, I like to have things sent directly.  It has saved me a lot of hassle in my Holidays!

9.       Visit some thrifty sites, like Money Saving Mom, or Living on a Dime.  These places can save you boodles of money by giving you a heads-up on great sales and posting useful coupons, etc.  Even when it’s not a Holiday, these sites are very helpful!

10.   Make your own home into a Holiday Haven.  A few candles, soft music, and clear counters go a long way to making your place a Happy Holiday House, if not a hint of Holiday Heaven!  Not only will you and your family enjoy the holidays more by enjoying your own home more, it can also save you money - you can curb the itch to run around if your home is happy and pleasant.  

Enjoy your Holidays, dear ones, and keep the debt monster out of your purse!

Rolling on toward Jesus’ birthday…