Advent Chocolate

With December almost upon us it's time for all things Christmas; the music, the tree, the last minute shopping and of course the daily chocolate from our advent calendars, but as someone on a search for faith what should I be striving to do this Christmas? To help me figure it out I have consulted many websites, YouTube videos and did some reading, this is a small list of things that I have come up with;

1. Do an Advent Reading plan/Bible study:I am actually doing both (one in the morning, one in the evening,) I study when I wake to get myself thinking about the marvellous gift God gave us; I read at night to reflect on all I learnt in the morning and throughout the day. I think this is a really good idea to remind me what Christmas is really about and focus my mind back on what I want to learn.

2. God gave us Jesus, Take time to give to others:When I say give to others I don't mean go out and stress your self to bits getting everyone the biggest, most expensive presents money can buy; I mean give as God gave to you. The greatest gift of all to a Christian is Jesus, he is the reason for the season. We all know that it is better to give than to receive and this year I really want to live that out. I have a reminder set in my phone to remind me (if I haven't already) to give something (my time, energy, a small gift, a cup of tea, etc) to someone around me.

3. Add Christian music into your winter playlist:I'm going to admit I'm not the biggest fan of Christian music (I have many reasons which I'll make another post about) but adding the few that I do like into my playlist has been really refocusing my mind. One of my current favourites is Lucy Hale's 'You're here.' You can add other media too like books and movies with a Christian theme within them they can really bring you back to what this season is all about.

4. Go to a Christmas service at church:The church I go to has wonderful Christmas services, the one I love the most is the Christingle service (another great addition to Christmas regardless of age) after which we go on a donkey walk (two children play Mary and Joseph, 'Mary' rides on a donkey with 'Joseph' walking beside her and we follow them to the biggest church in our area) then sing Christmas carols. It's a wonderful way to learn and grow in faith on Christmas.

5. Pray throughout December, most especially on the 25th:Prayer, our direct line to God. Speaking to him throughout the month with praise, thanks and just everyday things is one sure way to draw near to him at this amazing time of year. I am going to be using my Advent chocolate as a reminder each day to give that small part of my day to the Lord. Thank him for the greatest gift we could have in Jesus, thank him for anything even the smallest of things that are making your Christmas better. It's free, it's simple and it's one of the best gifts that you can give to Jesus this Christmas, (after all it is his birthday!)

This Christmas I fully intend to take advantage of every opportunity I can get to learn about Christianity whether it is to do with Christmas or not, I also want to take this time to be thankful and filled with joy for all that I have.

On that note, I do want to add to this post something that I think isn't spoken about enough around Christmas and that is this... Just because it's 'the most wonderful time of the year' and everything is meant to be happy and joyful, you do not have to feel that way. Many people are pressured around Christmas to be constantly happy and/or hide negative emotions because of the time of year; I want to remind everyone that regardless of the month of the year people should be allowed to feel and express their emotions without being told they are a 'Scrooge' or 'the Grinch.' We were created with a full range of emotions that we can't just turn off and on like the lights on our trees, if you notice that someone doesn't seem to be enjoying Christmas instead of telling them to 'cheer up' ask them if there is anything you can do to help and pray for them, that will be a true blessing to them. (stepping off the soapbox now, back to your back to regularly scheduled programming)

There are so many ways that you can put Christ back in Christmas those are just a few ideas that I am using to find my faith this Christmas; if you have any others that you would like to add to the list please share them I am always looking for more ideas. I can't wait to see what I gain from putting all these in to practice this December.

Right, off to go do some of my reading plan before bed...