Ready or Not, He's Comin'

Christmas music fills the air as you carefully place the delicate ornament on your family tree. You munch on gingersnaps and sip sweet hot chocolate as you wrap all your Christmas presents. At the end of the day, you eat a chocolate from your Christmas countdown, and go to bed happy knowing that tomorrow is a day closer to Christmas.


What's wrong with this picture?


I don't know if you knew this or not, but Christmas is kind of named after someone who is a little important. I mean, he only humbled Himself to come into the world as a baby and then later died on the cross for our sins... and yet people today think it's okay to take Him out of the big picture.


Whether you like it or not, saying "Happy Holidays" is not going to make Jesus just disappear out of thin air. Ready or not, He's coming so we all should clean  up our houses.. and our hearts.


There's this great song called Christmas with a Capital C and it is by this band called Go Fish. It's a really fun song, and if you haven't heard it yet, definitely look it up. Here are some memorable lyrics from the song: 

"EVERYBODY said, 'Merry Christmas! Hey, Merry Christmas
to you, Mr. Lohenstein. Do you know why? Because it wasn't about a
religion, it was about something as a culture that we thought was so
valuable, even if I disagreed with the religion behind it, because it was
good for ALL of us instead of just me. "

"Oh, yes, we want to say, 'Happy Holidays' because we don't
leave anybody out. Really? How come there's a ton of holidays in
February - nobody says, 'Happy Holidays' in February, do they?"

"But nobody wants to say, 'Christmas'! Everything
else but 'Christmas'. Why? I know why. You do, too. It's because
it's got 'Christ' in it, and after 2,000 years He's still intimidating
people. "

"I say you gotta say, 'Merry Christmas' because it IS!
If you don't believe in it, fine. But I've got a flash for you:
Christianity happens to be the religious heritage of my
country whether you like it or not..."

 

 

I know Christmas is less than a week away, but that still is enough time to open up your heart and let God in.

 

Have a blessed Christmas!

All through Christ,

 

Maddie

Happy New Year! {And 5 Ways You Can Make this Christmas a Jolly One!}

HAPPY NEW YEAR:

I know, I know, you're probably thinking it's not the New Year. But for the Church it is! Yes, in case you didn't know the 1st day of Advent is the "New Year" of the Church. So happy New Year! Made any resolutions?

Just like we would for the January 1st New Year, we should make resolutions for Advent and the rest of the Church year as well. Here are some examples of something you could consider working on this year.

1. A little something called prayer: It's actually pretty scary how we abandon our prayer. Prayer is our main communication with God and we still throw it aside! Most of the reasons are laziness, laziness and more laziness. Believe it our not, our world is the definition of sloth. So, here are some tips to boost up your prayer life!
     -Spend 5 minutes a day with God, and once you feel comfortable gradually increase the number.
     -Read from the Bible {everything you need to know is in there, I pinky promise}
     -Take time to listen to God, not just talk to Him.

2. Working on broken relationships: God made people so that we can love each other and God more fully in this life. And things get hard, I know. So find one person that you despise and pray for them everyday. Even though it's tough, focus on trying to be nice to that person.

3. Evangelize: In other words, SPREAD THE WORD (haha, get it in other words and then spread the word... never mind :) ) Talk about Jesus with other people. And don't forget to tell others that Christmas is about CHRIST not the presents and Santa and all that great stuff.

I would suggest picking one main thing and persisting. Start small, then get bigger. Have fun with it! Remember, all God wants is your love and affection. :)

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FIVE WAYS YOU CAN MAKE THIS CHRISTMAS A JOLLY ONE:

Who doesn't like the Christmas season? The carols, the frantic shopping, the clean scent of peppermint... it is just very beautiful. Here a few tips on how to make this Christmas the best yet.

1. Spend it with family and friends: Who better? You always will have the time of your life when you are spending it with the people you love. So get together with some friends. Have a baking party, or gift exchange. Back away from all the frenzy and just relax with those people you trust./

2. Bake: Whether you like to bake or not, the taunting smell of gingerbread or fresh baked cookies is too hard to resist. Baking is a fun way to spend time with a family member and make something delicious! Here are a few Christmas recipes to get you started.

"Best" Sugar Cookies (No chilling required):
Martha Stewart Vanilla Cupcakes:
Homeade Hot Chocolate: ...

3. Decorate!: Nothing better than hanging up Christmas stockings and trying to put up the Christmas tree. Make your room festive by printing out free Christmas printables, making a chain out of construction paper, and my personal favorite, Christmas stars.

Free Christmas Printables
Christmas Star Tutorial

4. Give: Although I love receiving gifts, giving is equally awesome too. The feeling you get inside cannot be described, and it really make your day. So if you are broke, like me, here are some DIY gifts you can make this Christmas.

DIY Mint Scrub
DIY Hair Bow
DIY Mason Jar Goodies

Mason Jars:  They are my favorite for giving! Here are a few ideas of what to fill your mason jars with.
-Cookie, cake, or hot chocolate mix.
-Manicure set- nail polish,  nail file, cotton balls, etc.
-Sewing set- needle, tape measure, small pieces of fabric
-Candy!

5. Keep in mind the reason for the season!: So many things fog up our beliefs during Christmas. Although it is fun to receive and give, light up the house with lights and write wish lists to Santa, we have to keep in mind that Jesus  is why we celebrate Christmas. Along with all the other goodies, we should take some time to remember and thank Jesus for coming into this world as a little baby to save us from sin. Don't forget to go to Mass on Christmas or Christmas Eve! At the end of the long day of unwrapping presents, eating and having fun with your family, thank God for everything that happened on Christmas, especially his son, Jesus Christ.

Have a very merry Christmas and happy New Year!
All through Christ,
Maddie

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