Stress Less this Christmas

Is it just me or the closest we get to the Christmas holiday, the longer the gift list seems to miraculously grow.  Just when you thought you were done with your shopping it's, "Oh, what about my child's caregiver, teachers, the mail man...wait, the UPS man who delivers all of my Kharismatic Kreations supplies...hold up, I forgot the administrative assistants..."and the list goes on and on. Although we all sing and shout, "Jesus is the reason for the season," many of us are running around, struggling and stressing, trying to do last minute Christmas shopping for our ever growing gift list.  This year I decided to make gift giving full circle.  I'm using the gifts that I was blessed with to bless others, affordably, and I encourage you to do the same.

If you have a knack for crafts and DIY, use your creativity to make gifts like the Merry Mason Jars filled with chocolate covered pretzels I crafted for my daughter's teachers and before and after caregivers.  Or the gloves that I made for my co-workers.  If you are good at baking, bake some cookies or a cake for the mailman or the delivery person as I plan to do for the UPS man.  Hey, if you are good at singing, call a loved one who is sick and shut in or someone who hasn't heard your voice in a while and gift them a singing telegram/telephone call.  The point is, we all have gifts, and Christmas is the celebration of the most perfect and wonderful gift to mankind, the birth of Jesus Christ.  As I am trying to explain that to my five year old daughter who is more interested about the gifts that she is getting, I think that being a living example of what I am attempting to teach her will go further than me just singing, "Jesus is the reason for season."  It also allows us the opportunity to spend quality time crafting, baking, and thinking of thoughtful ways to spread joy to others - which is a gift within itself.

God did not send his only begotten son for us to live in bondage to debt.  He sent his son to set us free from sin, to give us peace, new hope and unfailing love.  Use the gifts that He has given you to give peace, hope and love to others.

Merry Christmas to all!  Peace and blessings ~ Kelli