Why food is so good ...

So you did it. You were determined not to succumb, but you did. Your eyes were bigger than your stomach, you were so hungry you ate a horse, a ham, a turkey, a turducken. You ate the turkey and the stuffing too, and now you're stuffed. You scoffed down the egg salad and now you are as full as goog. Its only once a year. Its Christmas. Next year you'll be better. Or maybe I'm just talking to myself? I didn't even talk about dessert!
I was very conflicted about Christmas this year. Eating, knowing I'm going to be blogging about it the next day was certainly playing in my mind. But mostly it's because my kids are getting older. To santa or not to santa? To lie or tell the truth? To spoil them rotten or to simplify? To shop or not to shop? It didn't help that I left ALL the shopping until two days before Christmas and had to fight the crowds, the rush and my will to just go home and lie down. I've had so many good intentions throughout the year to make Christmas more about Jesus, others and generosity. In the end, I think we did Christmas much the same as we did the year before.
BUT it was good! Some of our family we haven't seen all year! And it was so special to get to share a meal together. Lots of yummy food warms hearts. Seeing the kids' faces light up when they opened their gifts, and that they were so thankful! (I must have done something right). The kids playing and laughing and celebrating together helps the mums and dads, aunties, uncles, grandmas and grandpas to reminisce and remember and bond.
At the end of two days of Christmas for our families, I had loved it, I was filled with joy, but tired. Our celebrations are so special, and eating together is such a vital part of celebrating. And I appreciated it. It's a part of our culture.
And my heart turned to the millions of people in the world who can't celebrate, those who are lose their cultural celebrations because they don't have food, and sometimes no reason to celebrate. Many don't know it's Jesus' birthday. Many don't know their own birthday, and would it matter if they did? Girls who are enslaved to prostitution, child who are stolen from their homes, those who search for food in the rubbish dump. Freedom is truly something to celebrate, and those who have it should fight for those who don't.
And that is something I want to fight for every day, not just on Christmas - that others can have freedom to celebrate, that others can be free to eat and free to live.
So for next year ... what thoughts do you have for your Christmas?

Wise Giving

Merry Christmas! We hope that you are enjoying a wonderful time with family and friends – and that you’ve had the chance to exchange some great presents!

I’m sure that the Wise Men never regretted their decision to travel to find Jesus and present him with gifts, just as I am confident that over-spending at Christmas isn’t likely to become your greatest financial regret. It is always a blessing to give.

The Wise Men were blessed to be able to give their precious gifts. Their line of work had been successful enough that they were able to take a holiday to take a valuable gift to someone they hadn’t met before. In the same way, we are so blessed to be able to afford to be generous at Christmas. The Wise Men shared what they had, they shared their excess, just as we can – even if like the little drummer boy we can only give a song.

A gift brings honour to the recipient. When we give, much more is received than just an object. The person who receives the gift is honoured to know that they are valued and loved. The men were wise to honour Jesus.

Generosity is the Wise Men’s legacy. They were wise to give and it became all that they have been remembered for. Indeed no-one is likely to be remembered for what they received but rather for what they gave to others. If it wasn’t for the creativity of my wife, it would be likely that this English teacher would be remembered as the uncle who always gives books.

Wouldn’t it be great to be remembered by your family, friends and even strangers as being a generous person?

Excess extremes, Christmas and other insanities

I love the excesses of Christmas! Christmas has got to be my all-time favorite part of the year. I love the presents! I love that it's the time of year that you get to open presents without the accompanying feeling of getting older, instead you feel like a kid again. And I love giving presents - the creativity you can use to shop and wrap, and the feeling you have when someone really loves what you gave them! I love that you can eat as much as you want of all your favourite foods, that you can undo you top pant button at the end of the day and no one judges you - all in the spirit of santa. I love that it's Jesus' birthday and getting to tell the Christmas story over and over again to the kids. I love hanging out with family with no hurry and nothing to do but laugh and eat and play.


But there are some things that I really don't love about Christmas. The first thing, and I'm sure you would agree - the stress! Its that feeling of hurrying and what to buy and lots to cook, and rushing between families, parties, presentation nights and christmas carols. How is it that the best time of year can become the most stressful time of year filled with angst and worry? 
Then there's the crowds and the pushing and shoving at the shops and in the carpark! While we love to go shopping to be generous and giving and sharing to those we love, the rest of the world can go jump and we're happy to shove and push and grunt impatiently while we wait in line. 
Another thing is present envy, .. that sideways glance to see what your sisters unwrapping to see if its better than what you got, and thinking 'that's what I wanted!' (what you've never done that?), the times you hear "why didn't Santa get me a DS?", seriously, I'm beginning to wonder if he's even real!.
And in the end, while we're trying to focus on the real meaning of Christmas and loving our family and being generous, we instead begin to focus on ourselves and our worries and our stresses ending in a big blow up, a family blue, bottles being thrown, crushing your own Christmas present to prove a point and throwing up, accidently, on the Christmas tree! I'm just making this up, but I think you get the picture :)


Don't you think its time to stop ... take a breath ... and think about what we really want, what we really need, what we really don't need and really don't want. Christmas is the time of great extremes, the time when the real you is exposed, the time when the human heart is at its greatest point of need and longing, the time when we remember the poor, the lonely, the sick, the destitute, the time when the world's great excesses of wealth and extremes of poverty are brought into focus. Christmas is the the time that defines who we are, what we believe and what we stand for, through how we act, how we give and what we can't be bothered with. 


This Christmas, we want to redefine who we are as a family and as individuals. We want to think about the extremes and excesses in our life, and exchange them for something better, something simpler, and something more beautiful. We're going to officially start our blog on Christmas Eve and then for 40 days through the new year. Why not join us for the journey? Make it a true exchange and make a comment ;)


What do you think about Christmas?