So it has begun.
This year, to live up to my Advent resolutions I am making some changes to allow "stuff" less control over the season.
Firstly, I am getting rid of some (not all, baby-steps remember) of my remaining Transformers collection. I've got a bunch of them now listed on ebay for a song. Take a look here and if you know anyone in the market for collectible toys send them my way.
Secondly, I am (or I should say that we, as a family are) prioritizing accumulating experiences over accumulating things. That means that there will only be stockings under the tree this year for presents from each other. That's not because we can't afford it (I don't want anyone thinking that the poor pastor and his family can't afford Christmas), but because we have chosen to spend our money on time together rather than on toys we play with by ourselves (and that includes the grown-ups). Besides, our kids have so many other people in their lives that love them and send them gifts that I doubt they will notice.
And thirdly, I am not going to allow my own insecurities to drive my consumer decisions this Christmas. I will not spend more than is reasonable on any gift I purchase and I will not buy into the lie that my value to that person is dependent on how much I 'wow' them with their present. I will spend more time writing Christmas cards (well I already have, the post office deadlines are ridiculously early) and invest more time in people rather than presents.
Because in the end, Christmas is about what has already been done. It's about a gift that has already been given. It's about a work that is already complete. It's not about making my life better by adding to it more stuff, it about recognizing what I already have. It's about recognizing what has been done for me, by God, when the eternal Logos took on flesh and dwelt among us. Christmas is about incarnation, and I think that the best thing that I can do this holiday season to celebrate that fact is to live in such a way that Christ is incarnated a little bit in me. So that's my plan this Christmas.
What are you doing to make this season meaningful this year? I'd love to hear your stories in the comments below.
In Christ,
Chris
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