The Mom Crowd

I love all the classic Christmas cartoons. They remind me of being 7 years old and staying up past bedtime to watch a cartoon at night that was only broadcast once a year.  It would be a whole another year before I got to watch Frosty the Snowman again. This is a big deal when you are 7 years old in the Eighties.

Now we can pick up a whole collection of our favorite classics in a DVD package at Costco for $23. I checked this weekend, but I didn’t pay for them this year. My favorites are being searched out on the network and cable channels, recorded, and saved on my DVR until January. I am so thankful that my 2 year old daughter will sit and watch them with me. I now have an excuse to watch “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” at least 10 times this month.

Here is a list of some cartoon Christmas classics.

Which are your favorites? Do you have a special memory with one them? Will you always remember Hermey the Dentist Elf? Do you tear up when Linus gives his speech about the true meaning of Christmas? Does A Christmas Carol weird you out a little? Do you remember the Heuy, Dewey, and Louie and how they wished for it to be Christmas every year? Okay, after all these questions. I seriously watch too much TV or  maybe I just have a good memory! haha.

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
2. The Year Without a Santa Claus
3. Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer
4. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
5. Frosty The Snowman
6. Frosty Returns
7. A Charlie Brown Christmas
8. A Christmas Carol (Sim – 1971)
9. Mickey’s A Christmas Carol
10. Mr. Magoo’s A Christmas Carol
11. The Nightmare Before Xmas
12. Grandma got run over by a reindeer
13. The Little Drummer Boy
14. Shrek the Halls
15. The Polar Express
16. A Christmas Carol (Carry – 2009)
17. The Flintstones Xmas specials & The Flintstones A Christmas Carol
18. Olive the Reindeer
19. Annabelle’s Wish
20. A Garfield Xmas

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.  Ephesians 1:11-12 (MSG)

What great hope this verse gives us!  Have you ever felt like your days just blended together and nothing stood out as being awesome or even remarkable?  I was discussing this idea with my Sunday school friends yesterday and I heard myself saying, “Time seems to go by fast when we let life live us rather than us living purposeful lives.”  (Wow, that’s deep for me!)  I am a wife, mom, friend, daughter, and many other roles – but my biggest role is often forgotten:  I’m a child of God.  Paul tells us in these verses that we are designed with a purpose – and for a glorious life!

I think my purposes for day-to-day are pretty well laid out for me.  But lately I’ve been wondering if God is calling me to fit another role.  It’s still in such an ambiguous state that I can’t even express it here.  But I can tell you this:  I am simultaneously freaked out and glad that my significance in this life is ever-evolving as I get older.  All too often I put myself in a timeline – how I think things should play out in my life – and I’m trying to stop that and allow God to speak to me the purpose he is working out for me.  (As for the “feeling freaked out” part, I’m working on that.  I’ve discussed battling fear with you before – I’m trying to put that into practice.)

I share this with you this week as an encouragement.  December is a busy time, but I’m determined to hear God amidst everything else clamoring for my attention.  Rick Warren says, “It takes foresight and planning to live our lives on purpose.”  I’m bringing my specific questions to God and I am asking for His specific answers.  And I am clinging to Psalm 143:10 every day:  “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.  May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.”

How do you live your life on purpose?  In what ways has God surprised you?  What are your goals for this holiday season?

In the last 24 hours I have been invited to 2 different cookie parties happening this month. I don’t think that they will be my last two either. This is the first Christmas that my first child will understand a few Christmas traditions and I am so excited!  I am sure she will be elated to know that Christmas cookies are a yearly tradition.

Here are 5 ideas for Christmas Cookie Parties if you are thinking of throwing a party.

Cookie Exchange Party

A cookie exchange party can happen in the evening for a girl’s night out or during the days with kids and chaos.  My friend Tashi is hosting a Christmas cookie exchange this year and here are her rules that you could follow as well.

1. Bring 7 dozen of your best and yummiest cookies.
2. Bring 12 copies of your recipe.
3. Bring 1 dozen of your cookies arranged nicely in a basket or platter.
4. Bring a container to take home your new cookies.
5. If you don’t have time to bake or have ruined your recipe but still want to attend, just go to your local bakery and pick up 7 dozen yummy cookies.

Cookie Decorating Party

A cookie decorating party is completely fun for the kids and adults during the day time. Everyone can have fun while making a mess and eating delicious cookies.

My friend Jennifer C. is hosting a cookie decorating party and she will be providing the cookies and frosting. If the weather cooperates the party will be happening in the back yard. The guests only need to bring 3 things: (1) their kiddos (who aren’t in school), (2) some sprinkles to share, and (3) a take home container.

I am sure you can ask other moms chip in to bring cookies and ask someone else to bring frosting if you don’t want to provide all of the elements.

Cookie Bake Day

My family has had a cookie bake day almost every year. All the women get together and bake cookies in the same kitchen together. There is always a line for the oven, we are on top of each other, and making a mess on every counter space available, but it is so much fun! At the end of the day we have massive amounts of cookies and we trade what we made. It’s really fun being together and being silly.

Baked Ornament “Cookies”

Perhaps you aren’t looking to gain a few extra pounds this December and would prefer a non-edible party – you can always hang your cookies on the tree instead! I have never made these myself, but I really want to this year. It seems like it would be fun do with my kids and other kids as well. Here is a link to make Christmas Dough Ornament Crafts.

Cheer up homeless shelters and hospitals with your cookies!

After you have a cookie party you can package them up to give to a local hospital or shelter. You can get the kids involved and tell them who the cookies are for. They could even write a note or draw a picture to go with the cookies. You can even take it a step further and collect children’s books to give away along with the cookies. There are homeless shelters with children too. I am sure they would love cookies! A step further would be to gather your friends, family, or church, and provide a cookie decorating party for the children at the shelter. Here in San Antonio, The Strong Foundation, helps homeless families get back on their feet. Check with your local shelter’s volunteer coordinator to see if you can help.

Have you ever hosted a cookie party or participated in one? What is your favorite Christmas cookie?

While Christmas is by far the most important holiday in December, there are a few other fun days you can observe with your kids during the month.  Participating in these days and observances can add a few extra ideas for crafts and learning projects.

Read a New Book Month – So this one is pretty self-explanatory.  Pick up a new book and read it with your kids.  If they are old enough for a novel, choose a classic, like Charlotte’s Web.  Or better yet, find a great Christmas book to share with your kiddos.

National Cookie Day (December 4th) – What a great way to have fun… bake and eat!  Even the littlest member of your family can help decorate cookies and you can teach the older kids about measurements by letting them measure out sugar and flour. 

Saint Nicholas Day (December 6th) – Saint Nicholas Day is a fun way to talk to your kids about the generosity of others and to teach them about how Santa Claus came to be.  Have fun reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas  (or originally written as A Visit From St. Nicholas) with your family to give them an even more fun idea of Santa. 

National Poinsettia Day (December 12th) - A fun way to teach your children about this particular species of plants is to visit a nursery where they can see the different colors that poinsettias come in.  They can come in orange, pink, pale green, white and cream as well as the traditional red.  Create craft projects to decorate your house for Christmas or buy some real plants.  Just remember, if you do use the real kind, keep them away from your pets and children’s reach, as they can be poisonous.

Wright Brothers Day (December 17th) – Teach your children about the history of aviation by telling them of the adventures of the Wright brothers.  Visit the official Wright Brothers museum site for more information.  Craft ideas can include making paper airplanes, putting together a model plane or just coloring or painting them. 

First Day of Winter (December 21st) – Don’t forget to explore all the wonders of winter on the first official day of the season. 

Visit the Zoo Day (December 27th) – If you live in the south, take advantage of the nice cooler weather to visit your local zoo.  December 27th falls on a Sunday this year, so most likely your family could all go together as a big family outing, grandparents included!

While I absolutely LOVE Christmas, there are definitely times when I feel like my kids can get “Christmas’d out” and that it’s a good idea to mix things up a little!  Have fun, explore the history behind some of these days and take the time to enjoy the month!

Do you celebrate or observe any of the above days?  How do you do it?  Do you have other specific days that you remember and honor? 

Photo Courtesy of redstamp.com

This post was originally published on Dec. 21, 2008, but I think this is a wonderful reminder for this year too! Today is the first day of December and this month is going to fly by FAST! Let’s remember to enjoy it! Say no when we need to. Get off the computer when we need to. Get on the carpet with our children. Laugh. Eat. Enjoy. Count our blessings!

Original post:

The Christmas cards sitting on my mantle are bellowing at me in their cursive gold fonts to have a joyful and peace filled holiday season.  I think the cards are mocking me as I run about town shopping and stressing about cookies and wrapping presents.  I do desire to have joy and peace over the next two weeks and I am determined to guard my joy and peace.

Joy stealers come with many different faces.

Unmet expectations certainly steal your peace when you are disappointed and upset. Anger is a form of unmet expectations. So next time you are angry ask yourself which expectation you had wasn’t met. Then you have the choice to look at a situation logically or choose to just get over it. My spiritual mom would ask me when I was upset “What is the worst thing that can happen?” Once you worked out a situation backwards, you realize that it is just money, stuff, a bummer, or a disappointment. Then you come out thankful that you are alive and everything is relatively okay.

Unresolved conflict steals your joy when you are fighting with a your spouse, family member or a friend. Some conflicts can be resolved quickly. While others have been the elephant in the family living for years. My parents have unresolved conflict between themselves as long as I have been alive, but I decide not to take sides and not let their conflict between each other bug me. They are both wrong and my only concern is their relationship between them and me. Even when they complain about the other to me, I have to let their comments roll off my back. Sometimes putting on a hard shell and letting stupid comments roll off my back is my way of guarding my peace and joy.

There are joy stealers on the road! They steal parking spaces, go too slow, block the parking lot by waiting ten minutes for someone to load up their car and start it just so they can walk 20 steps closer to the door. One joy stealer may even be in the driver’s seat of the car! Your husband may be driving like a maniac or not going the route you would have gone. Just close your eyes and remember you will get there eventually.

Remember the big picture and keep your peace. What does Christmas mean to you? Is it spending quality time with your family? Is it remembering the Savior coming to earth so we can spend eternity in heaven? Is it being generous to others or a good time off from work? Whatever reason you celebrate Christmas, remember the big picture when something goes wrong and ask yourself if the big picture is still being accomplished. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

As you have joy and peace the rest of your family will feel it too. Don’t keep that joy and peace to yourself let it radiate from you wherever you go!

How do you plan to guard your peace and joy? Are you having a rough holiday season or this one being pleasant to you?