“I’m participating in the KEEP CHRIST in CHRISTMAS Blog Link-Up 2013, hosted by
Monica at www.equippingCatholicfamilies.
Erika at http://raisinglittlesaints.
Tina at http://trulyrichmom.com/
Laura at http://daybydayinourworld.com/
Sarah at http://onthewayhome2.com
Chris at http://campfiresandcleats.
Birgit at http://designsbybirgit.
Please consider following your hosts
in appreciation for the work that they do…
and be sure to visit as many links as possible,
listed at the bottom of this post.
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By the time you read this, the Advent season will most probably have begun. Some families may already have their Christmas trees and decorations up; some may have even finished decorating and doing their Christmas shopping as early as September or October. Others may already be counting down the days to Christmas. Indeed, it is a time of joyful waiting, a time of expectant hope for Christmas, or “Jesus’ birthday,” as my kids (and probably your kids too) call it.
Sadly though, there are many, many families who may not be as joyful or hopeful this Christmas season, especially here in the Philippines. Millions of families may be spending Christmas homeless and hungry; many will be grieving the loss of their loved ones — especially those who perished due to natural disasters such as Typhoon Yolanda or the Bohol earthquake.
Now, more than ever, is a time for us to keep Christ in Christmas. As homeschoolers, but more importantly, as Christian families in general, let us cultivate a culture of giving and sharing — the same kind of giving and sharing that Jesus preached about and lived out. Let us die to ourselves and our own selfish desires this Christmas and beyond, and teach our children to do the same. Here are some practical ways to do so:
1. During Advent, incorporate traditions like the Jesse Tree, the Advent Wreath, Christ-centered Advent calendars, Advent prayers and so on, into your family’s routine. Keep the focus on Jesus’ birth and the reason why He was born — to save us by giving His life for us. Let us remember that He calls us to do the same — to give our life for others.
Our Jesse Tree was a gift to us, and is made by the mothers supported by Mano Amiga.(More info when you click on the image — but please forgive the “broken” format of the post!)
2. Every week of Advent, try to do something as a family that is focused on giving or sharing with others. For example, for the first week, participate in relief efforts for Typhoon Yolanda victims; for the second week, visit and pray over a sick relative, friend or neighbor; and so on. It need not be a grand thing. Remember, even small things — done with great love — count.
3. Adopt a culture of giving and sharing for the long term. Let us give of ourselves and share our blessings not just when disasters and calamities strike, and teach our children to do the same. The victims of natural disasters like Typhoon Yolanda will be needing our help for a very long time, as they rebuild their lives and homes. As a family, research on ways that you can help in these rebuilding efforts, and choose a project (or projects) that you think you can support for the long term. You may even want to do this as a group, with other homeschool families.
Our friends and fellow homeschoolers from Catholic Filipino Academy participating in Yolanda relief drives. Non-CFA homeschoolers like us are welcome to join in relief efforts, so we plan to join them in their next activity. :)
4. Participate in the Church’s Advent and Christmas activities wholeheartedly. Inquire at your parish or community regarding activities that you and your family can join. Remember that we are the Body of Christ, and spending time with people who have the same focus (i.e. Jesus) is essential to our growth as giving and loving individuals.
No matter how we choose to spend these days before Christmas, let us remember to keep Christ at the center of everything we think, say and do. Let us give His goodness and share His love to others, not just this Christmas season, but every day of our lives.
*This post was originally written for Home Base, the monthly newsletter of Catholic Filipino Academy.
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Please do take the time to visit the other blogs in our Keep Christ in Christmas link-up! 🙂
Special thanks to Monica of Equipping Catholic Families for the great job she did with our link-up this year!
Equipping Catholic Families: Keep Christ in Christmas
Simply Homeschool Living Advent Series 12/1 – 12/25
Fifth of Five Keeping Christ in Christmas – Blog Link-up 2013
Coffee Moments with Sam The Light of Hope
Hand-Maid With Love: CHRISTmas Presence: Keep Christ in Christmas 2013 Edition
Open Window Making hay while the Advent wreath shines
Faith Filled Freebies: Keep Christ in Christmas
Written by the Finger of God: Not Christmas as Usual
On the Way Home: Keep Christ in Christmas
Sue Elvis Writes: Bring Christ to Others
Mommy Bares All Why Celebrate Christmas Even After #YolandaPH
Canadian Catholic Mom Keeping The Little Ones Focused: An Advent Link-Up
Mountain of Grace Homeschooling Keep Christ in Christmas
Em’s Estuary: Keeping Christ in Christmas
Happy Little Homemaker: December Devotion: Immaculate Conception
Adoro Ergo Sum: How We Keep Christ in Christmas
JoyAlive.net: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Home to 4 Kiddos Keep Christ in Christmas
Embedded Faith Boldly Be the Christ in Christmas
City Girl, Country Home Emmanuel Is With Us. Are we WITH HIM?
Journey to Wisdom: Trusting in your Awkward Fiats
Joy of Nine9 Waiting in Joyful Expectation Like a Child
Splendor in the Home Ideas For Keeping Advent and Christmas Holy
Training Happy Hearts 10 Ways to Celebrate the New Liturgical Year
A Catholic Life Advent: The Beginning of the Liturgical Year & Source of Rich Meditations
Designs by Birgit: Elf on a Shelf and Santa Claus
Catholic Inspired: Faith-Centered Family Christmas
A Slice of Smith Life: How we keep Christ in Christmas
Catholic All Year: Three Reasons I love Advent
Mary the Defender: Christmas The Battle Begins
Truly Rich Mom: Keep Christ in Christmas
Day By Day in Our World: 40 Days Seeking Him and Keeping Christ in Christmas
Diapers and Drivel: Keeping Christ in Christmas
Raising Soldiers 4 Christ: Keeping Christ in Christmas
Rosary Mom Keep Christ In Christmas With A Teenager
Tercets: Keeping Christ in Christmas: Join Church Ministries
Campfires and Cleats How We Keep Christ in Christmas
Life Unabridged: Celebrating the Fullness of the Advent and Christmas Season
Homeschooling With Joy Keeping Christ in Christmas
Mrs Domestic Bliss Gingerbread Nativity
The Chic Traveller Keeping Christ in Christmas
California to Korea Keeping Christ in Christmas
Dominique’s Desk Keeping Christ in Christmas
Our ABC Life: An Advent Update
Journey Living: Anno Domini
The Road to Rome: Advent Prayer and Reflection Resources
Life of Fortunate Chances: Keeping Christ in Christmas
Quidquid Est, Est!: Reblog: Advent Posts
I like the focus you place on helping others. Practicing the corporal works of mercy heading into Christmas is a great way to focus on Christ, who is present in the neediest among us. God Bless.
Amen, Christ is really present among the needy! To God be the glory! 🙂 Thanks for dropping by. God bless! 🙂
Great tips on keeping the season Christ-centered! And I think that it’s great you and your family are helping out with relief efforts together. The world needs more people like you!
I just pray that we could help out in more concrete ways, Janice! Thanks for dropping by. To God be the glory! God bless! 🙂
Thank you for both the focus on giving and on the need for an extended period of time in the future. Sometimes it’s easy to think of those in need at the time disaster strikes, but we forget as time goes by. The victims are, indeed, in need for a long time.
I just pray that we’ll be able to keep on helping for a long time, too, Birgit! Thanks for dropping by. God bless! 🙂
I agree with cultivating the culture of giving and sharing, especially among our kids. Thanks for this post!
I just pray that I’ll be able to do the cultivating successfully! 🙂 Thanks for dropping by! God bless!
We’re supporting Christians Against Poverty this year. I know this may not seem as pertinent as those poor people in the Philippines but there is a spiritual slavery in this country; people have really become enslaved to money and consuming (myself included). The group, like Christ, stands between people and the people they owe money to and help them sort out their financial mess. This naturally leads to a re-organising of priorities. They helped us a few years back and we’re forever indebted to them.
Wonderful thoughts. I’m following you on google+
Christians Against Poverty sounds like a great group! Blessings to you and yours!
Where in the Philippines are you? We were on our way to Davao this summer before the Lord changed our entire direction!
I love the idea of picking family projects to focus on serving others. So much I want to do during this season!!! So glad you shared!
We’re based in Quezon City, Philippines! 🙂 Wow, I hope you get to visit the Philippines sometime soon, maybe we can meet up somehow! Blessings to you and yours this Advent and beyond!
What a beautiful family you have! Your Advent is truly Christ centered! Many blessings to you and your family! Our family is certainly keeping the people of the Philippines in our prayer intentions!
Oh Heidi, please don’t be fooled by the blog! Ha, ha! 🙂 We are like many other families — just trying our best to live by God’s will! We fail many, many times though! Thank God for His grace! Thank you for your prayers! 🙂 God bless you and your family!
This is my wife and mine’s first Christmas. We bought our first Advent wreath last week. 😀 So beautiful a tradition!
So happy for you and your wife! 🙂 Have a blessed Advent!
Nice to meet another Filipina here! Thank you for promoting the link up on the League of Filipino Catholic Bloggers FB group! Am new to blogging, just started last June and have been quite sporadic with my posts. I’m also from Quezon City. 🙂
It’s great that your family has so many wonderful activities for Advent. Relief efforts seem to be Christmas tradition of sorts for our country these past few years. With my studies, I can’t help as often as I’d like. Since. you are in the area, have you ever attended Simbang Gabi at Gesu in Ateneo? Around 8pm for the Novena nights. Bukas Palad, Hangad and many other choirs have free concerts before the Mass. And lots of comfort food in food stalls after. 🙂 Might want to be early though, church gets pretty full.
Hi Maria! 🙂 Nice to “meet” you! I’m glad you joined the link-up. We’ve never tried the Simbang Gabi at the Ateneo, but maybe we can try this year. Though with our young kids, they might just fall asleep or get fussy during Mass, if it’s in the evening. 🙂 Thanks for the tip though, I’ll share it with my husband. God bless you!
Jessie trees are the best! What better way to show how Salvation History prepared the way for Christ’s coming.
God bless!
We LOVE our Jesse Tree! 🙂 Thanks for dropping by! God bless!
Hi Tina, both of my priests and Filipino and in fact, our pastor was over in the Philippines trying to fly back to US as the typhoon was approaching. He was blessed by God and was able to arrive back here safely and his family he was visiting is safe. He’s from closer to Milan and our associate pastor is further south but his family too is safe. However, he has friends that he has yet to hear if they’re ok or not. It’s been rough for our priests and we had a special Filipino Mass where every Filipino from the Chicagoland area was invited to pray and give. Our church took up collections and we’ve been sending money over to CRS in Milan and two religious orders. Do you live in the Philippines? Were you personally affected?
Our parish is also celebrating Simbang Gabi on Dec 21st during our Christmas novena. I go each year and it’s stunningly beautiful in color and music. We are blessed to all share in this celebration.
May God bless you and your family.
Hi Noreen! Yes, we live in Quezon City, in Metro Manila. So we were not directly affected by the calamities. But we have friends whose family members were. Thank you for sharing about what you’ve been doing and are doing, and about your pastors. We pray for them and their friends who have been affected by the typhoon. Praise God for making us one family in Christ! God bless you and yours!
Our prayers are with the people of the Philippines this Advent!
Thank you, Kendra! 🙂 God bless you and your family!
A lovely post. I wish more people would share such Advent traditions!
To God be all the glory, Matthew! 🙂
Tina, I thought of you when I heard about the Philippines getting hit. I said a prayer for you and your family. I’m glad you were not personally hurt, but it’s heart breaking to hear so many sad stories.
Our family has tried to focus more on giving and sharing so we have been helping to run an on-line Art Show to help raise donations for the poor. Please, visit my blog to see it!
Your family’s charity is an inspiration! Thanks so much for all you do in Jesus name! Take care and God bless!
Jennifer, thank you so much for your prayers. Yes, it has truly been heartbreaking! I’ve seen the online Art Show before, on your blog — such a novel idea! I want to do something similar on my blog for the typhoon victims but don’t know how to get started. My family is not as charitable as we should be many times — praise God for His grace! God bless you and yours always!
I agree with you, Tina, that we don’t need to stop doing good things to help others after Christmas. This should be part of our way of life. That way, we do not only keep Christ in Christmas but every day of our lives.
Amen, sis! 🙂
Thank you for sharing all about how we need to focus more on other. It’s always a great reminder to think and act unselfishly. Our family has had the Philippines in our thoughts and prayers, especially this Advent season!
Thanks for your prayers, Tracy! We all need to be reminded to be unselfish, don’t we? 🙂 God bless you and your family!
I love the idea of emphasizing giving during the season of Advent. There are so many people who can benefit from even a ‘little act’ that it is a great lesson to teach the kids. Thanks for sharing about how your family approaches it.
Laura, it has been challenging to teach our kids to be more selfless actually, so that’s why I wrote my post, haha! Thank you for dropping by. God bless you and your family!
Our family is also trying to do some sort of outreach to others each week this Advent season. I hope the kids take away the giving and charity aspects of the things we are doing.
Yes, I hope so too, Joanne! 🙂 God bless you and yours!
I love the service idea. We do operation Christmas child (in November) and toys for tots, but it hasn’t occurred to me to do a weekly project. Love it!
To God be all the glory! 🙂 Thanks for visiting! God bless you and your family!
We are praying for all of you in PI!
I have been looking for ways for my family to get involved this Advent. Thank you for the great suggestions. God bless you!
Thank you for your prayers, and for visiting my blog! God bless you and yours! 🙂
So happy to see your family celebrates with a Jesse Tree! My family does, too. We love it. A beloved family tradition…hanging an ornament and reading scripture together each night leading up to the much anticipated Christmas Day. I make my ornaments…visit my Etsy shop to see photos. https://www.etsy.com/shop/PinkScissorsDesign
We LOVE our Jesse Tree! 🙂 Heading over to your Etsy shop now to check out the photos. God bless you and yours! 🙂