Daly Focus Blog
Since Christmas will probably look different for your family this year, why not start some new traditions?
We’re talking about ideas for approaching the holiday season with grace, fun, and a deeper focus on God and your family on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Embracing Grace, Fun, and Family This Holiday Season.” Listen on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or on our free phone app.
Christmas is all about the baby Jesus. We celebrate the truth that “unto us a child is born, to us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
The Creator of the universe cloaked Himself in flesh and blood and submitted Himself to the care of human parents as a vulnerable, dependent child. It’s the ultimate expression of humility.
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Unwrapping the Real Christmas,” British evangelist Canon J.John has a challenge for you this Christmas: as you celebrate the baby Jesus, allow your heart to consider the rest of His life as well.
“Sitting in the darkness they saw a great light. The doors of Heaven were opened wide. How much more … does God love you?”
That’s the opening line to the joyful new Christmas single, “How Much More.”
Sung by the Georgia Youth Choir, the song is filled with Biblical imagery and hope-filled reminders of God’s immense love for us.
It seems every year, winter brings out those who can’t get enough of Christmas – and those who can’t wait for the music to stop playing.
For those of you who may not hold Christmas music in very high esteem, especially those songs that are overplayed, “How Much More” is a new track you just might enjoy.
Years ago, a friend asked Asheritah Ciuciu if she was excited that the Christmas season had arrived.
“Actually, no,” she said.
Christmas had both a joyful side and a dark side for Asheritah. She and her parents lived in Romania for ten years during the communist regime while her father pastored five churches – one officially recognized church and four underground churches. They lived under intense persecution and death threats.
Asheritah’s childhood Christmases had so many hard memories that she grew up wanting the season to be over with as soon as possible.
Is it too early to start thinking about Christmas?
It’s not if you hope to have a smooth December and enjoy a stress-free Christmas season. That can be tough to do if you’re not organized.
Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy. A time for us to reflect on our Savior who came as a baby in a manger and soon took upon Himself the sins of the world.
Instead, we get caught up in all the “stuff” of Christmas: the lights, the decorations, the shopping.
Do you have strong feelings about Halloween? Tomorrow’s annual holiday elicits strong feelings on both sides of the spectrum.
With its admittedly pagan origins, involving druids, ghosts and goblins, among other things, there are Christians who deliberately ignore even the seemingly innocent aspects of the day.
At the same time, there are many of us who choose to focus on the happier side. Many churches even hold “harvest” festivals and invite children to dress up in fun costumes.
Alexandra Kuykendall knew she had to do Christmas differently.
Her job required a significant amount of her time, and her children and husband wanted a good chunk of the rest. Add to that visitors who were staying in her home and the usual accoutrements of Christmas – food, gifts, decorations, etc. – and she was overwhelmed.
After the holidays, even a non-committal, “Fine,” felt like a lie when friends and co-workers asked her, “How was your Christmas?”
She encountered something all of us go through at one time or another at Christmas.
It’s easy to forget the origins of the holidays we celebrate. For a lot of people, Thanksgiving is about family, football, and pumpkin pie.
That’s all good stuff. But it’s also good to remind ourselves of the true origin of Thanksgiving and to remember how grateful we should be to live in a nation that has been immeasurably blessed by God.
While you’re fixing your Thanksgiving feast today, or heading over to Grandma’s in the car, tune into our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Remembering the Pilgrims’ Journey.”
Professor Jay Milbrandt, a professor at Bethel University in Minnesota, is with us to peel back the layers of history and get us back to what the first Thanksgiving was all about.
The holiday season can be one of the most joyful times of the year. But it can also be one of the most stressful.
Spending time with family during Thanksgiving and Christmas sounds enjoyable in July and August. But once November and December arrive, you realize how much needs to get done, and you remember what’s it like to be in a house filled with people who have different interests, different traditions, even differing political and spiritual viewpoints.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
