"But, Christmas without all the presents just isn't the same!"

It's amazing how enjoyable the Christmas season is when you cut out all the shopping, receipts, crowds, traffic... It's truly remarkable. We have regained so much. We had time to enjoy both Grandmas' church Christmas programs, time to sit together and watch the Christmas Classics, and time to do local missions with the church. We are not run ragged as we have been in years past.

Jeff has commented on it too. He is not at work watching our balance dwindle on USAA.com while I shop away. He is not nearly as stressed about the number of gifts left to buy. The gift to Jeff has been the reduced financial pressure. Sure beats a tie or a DVD. The other night he even came home and said, "Let's put lights on the outside of the house this year. I think Jack will love it." Say what? I couldn't believe my ears. We have NEVER put up lights on the house. And guess what? We had plenty of time to do that... on a Saturday no less. No shopping to do, no wrapping to do... just quality family time and new memories.

I have been totally free to give my time to others this time of year. I have time and energy to help my parents clean their garage, help my friend organize her bills, help my pregnant neighbor with her laundry and dishes. I was also able to volunteer at Jack Everett's little church Christmas Posada program and it was incredible.

I never realized how harried my holidays have been in years past. I remember Christmas shopping trips that resulted in six or seven bags, gift receipts, etc. to sort through... and I did this several times a week in December. All the while, I dragged a baby in a stroller from store to store. My list was organized but long. Jeff would say, "Are you sure we need to buy for every single person on that list?" I know he didn't want to sound like a Scrooge, and I am sure he didn't want to appear to our families like we couldn't afford it, or that we didn't plan well for it. I would say, "Well, we can't get everyone to agree on drawing names"... or..."I do enjoy watching them open the gifts we bring. I mean, that's part of the fun for me."

I wish we had tried this last year. We didn't. I would tell Jeff, "Christmas just wouldn't be the same without all the presents!" I felt like Christmas would be boring or disappointing without the gifts. It wouldn't be memorable. Plus, how awkward would it be if we were receiving a ton of gifts but showed up empty-handed? That would be weird.

Last year, the gift-opening was completely overwhelming for the kids and quite frankly cut into time we could have spent visiting, playing games, or opening a few of the new toys and actually playing with them. By the end, Jack Everett was exhausted. He was half-heartedly opening gift after gift, hardly thanking people, hardly looking at each new item. It took us all year to introduce his new toys at a rate at which he could enjoy each of them. We had to give away dozens of toys to make room for his new ones.

Jeff and I felt like we had failed to recognize a great teaching opportunity. We felt like we were on the road to spoiling our sweet boy. We told ourselves on the ride home last year, car chock full of packages and a sleepy overindulged boy crashed out in his carseat... next year would be different. We promised to make a change.

When our pastor announced... "two weeks until Christmas!" the congregation moaned. That is not the reaction he had hoped for but exactly what he expected. The sermon series was about "Missing Christmas." If anyone reading this feels compelled to re-evaluate their current Christmas traditions, pray about it for next year... If you feel like you need a big change, go for it. It's not too late. The kids are not too old. I wish someone had told me this... or challenged me to pray about this years ago.

If I were to mentor a newlywed couple, I would advise them: When you have a baby, take time to talk about what you want Christmas to feel like in your home. Start Christ-centered holiday traditions now, while it's still easy. What do you want Christmas to look like and sound like in your home? How will gift-giving be handled? How much will you spend? How will you save for it? How do you want them to describe it to their kids? Be intentional. Which activities and traditions are worth your time and energy and reinforce the miracle of Jesus' birth and which ones take away from the real meaning?

Turns out, I was right all along... Christmas without all the presents just isn't the same.