There is a magic to Christmas that can’t be denied. There is a sweet warmth, a kindred-spiritedness, a joy in the darkness. There is silliness and soberness. There is fairy tale, myth, and the celebration of the greatest event in human history. There is eucatastrophe, tradition, and festivity! There is a magic to Christmas, deep and old, bright and beautiful!

Do you ever wish you could bottle up that perfect Christmas feeling, can it, and store it on your pantry shelf?

All of us desire to make homes. We love all that home holds. We glory in all that home brings into the lives of the people we love. We are all in on the value of our labors. Practicing daily thanksgiving helps us keep our light in our windows to guide our people back home. When we fill heart-gardens with the fertilizer of gratitude, the seeds we plant bloom into big, bold, beautiful warmth. It is impossible to stand against a grateful woman. She will nourish and nurture in life-altering ways. Without a word, we will create an environment that everyone wants to be in. No matter what is on our walls, our homes will be infused with coziness, comfort, and cheer. 

Christmas isn’t about the stuff. (Repeat this with me every day! Christmas isn’t about the stuff!) Christmas is about the gift of being home together as a family, whether that is a blood family, a found family, your church, or your community. Christmas is a broad holiday. It shelters war stories, ghost stories, trees, troubles, and magic. It shelters good Christian men rejoicing! Don’t make it about the stuff.