4th Day of Christmas with Nicki Koziarz

Do you often have Norman Rockwell-like expectations about the holidays — the decorations, the food, the gifts, the activity — laden schedule, the family get-togethers?

There are many areas where women want to exert control ensuring the perfect yuletide season. What if we learned instead to let go of unrealistic expectations and embrace an “out-of-control” Christmas this year: relaxing and relating in a peaceful manner while letting others offer input and ultimately allowing God to call the shots?

Then join the 9000 women who have gotten my free resource From Chaos to Calm: The LET. IT. GO. Christmas Challenge?

This five-day challenge will allow Christmas to go from chaos to calm as you learn to control what you should and trust God with what you can’t. The result? Less stressing and more blessing!  Click here for the free sign up.
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Now–before we get to today’s post, I have a HUGE announcement!!!! The winners of the two Kindle Fires from my LET. IT. GO. launch!!!!

The winner who commented on one of the posts in the blog tour is:

Christine Hunt

And the winner from among the gals who signed up for the From Chaos to Calm Challengeis:  (well her email is)   [email protected]

YAY!!!! Send your home address to [email protected] so we can get your Kindle Fire to you!!!

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Welcome to our 5th annual 12 Days of Christmas giveaways!.

Each day I’ll feature one of my Proverbs 31 sisters offering a recipe, idea or memory and giving away a prize for the day!

Today’s guest?

The enthusiastic servant of Jesus and fabulous speaker:

Nicki Koziarz

The Great Santa Debate

It all started at a Christmas party…

The room glowed with the warmth of candles carefully placed on beautifully decorated tabletops.

3 couples sat at our table. We small-talked through our salads, discussed holiday plans through the main course and just as desert was being served, this question was posed to the table by one of the ladies:

“Do you all “do” Santa at your house?”

I squirmed a little in my seat. Sometimes people can get a little opinionated about subjects like this. But being a young mom, I was curious about their responses.

The brave man next to me decided to enter his thoughts first…

He was very clear that Santa was not an acceptable part of the Christmas season for their family.

To him, it seemed to take away the meaning behind the truth of Christmas. His kids never visited Santa at the mall and never spent Christmas Eve night wondering if reindeer were flying over their heads.

They instead exchanged 3 gifts [to represent the wise men], read the Christmas story [Luke 1] and sang Christ-filled carols around the fireplace.

The woman sitting next to him [intensely] listened. She carefully placed her fork down and smiled at her husband as she began to roll through her heart-filled emotions about Santa.

Santa was an enormous role in their Christmas season.

She shared how they left footprints of confectioner’s sugar down the hallway [to look like snow]. Her husband used to stand outside of the kids windows jingling bells, and had even walked along the roof to make it sound like Santa’s sleigh had landed!

It was serious business at their house.

While Santa was a fun role on Christmas in their home, she shared that she knew her children understood the real meaning behind it – the birth of Jesus.

The opposing couple disagreed that her children could not understand the real meaning of Christmas if the focus was on anything but Jesus.

The conversation continued round and round.

As they made their way through this debate, I took note of two things:

Number one: Both couples were very passionate about what they believed.

Number two: Both couples believed their children were receiving the best Christmas’s for their childhood.

They are both excellent parents and are raising great kids.

As parents with little ones, sometimes it’s hard to know what the right thing to do is. Santa or no Santa?

Sometimes it’s easy to take our holiday tradition preferences and turn them into religious laws.

But the truth is: The birth of Jesus is not a tradition. It’s a miracle.

The traditions we bring to our family through the celebration of this miracle is something that accomplishes exactly what both of these couples wanted to do.

They are both successfully leaving warm Christmas memories in their children’s hearts that will last … forever.

When our children are grown and gone they will long for those Christmas nights of singing carols around a fire. They will miss reading the Christmas story or listening for Santa’s footsteps on the roof.

As they pass houses that have lights pinned to the roof, silly snow men blow-ups in the yard and lighted-wire reindeer they will remember you … your home … and your traditions.

Those memories will remind them of your love. Your love will in turn remind them of the greatest gift ever given to them, Jesus Christ.

And that my friends, is something worth debating and the greatest legacy for future generations…

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Now for the giveaway! Nicki is giving away a $10 Starbucks gift card and a year’s subscription to Better Homes and GardensTo be entered, tell us one thing you love about the greatest gift ever—Baby Jesus!!! Or, just say “The greatest gift is Jesus!”

Remember, you have until Sunday night December 16th to comment on all the posts. One grand prize winner will be chosen from among the gals who post on all 12 days! What the grand prize is will be announced sometime this week (when I figure it out!!!)

350 Comments

  1. Jesus. The gift that keeps on giving! Nothing could ever match the blessed gift of salvation through our savior Jesus.

  2. As we celebrate our Savior’s birth, let us me ever mindful that telling others about Jesus is our greatest gift to him. :) Help us God to be bold in our faith!

  3. The greatest gift is Jesus. I am humbled to think that God feels so much love for us that rather than be separated from us by our own faults, frailties and sins, He gave us His only son to die for us. His grace is amazing.

  4. The absolute greatest gift is Jesus…Without Him who would I be? Where would I be? Jesu is the best gift and all He wants is me!

  5. The greatest gift is Jesus and sometimes it’s hard to get my kids to see and remember that. I threaten to withold gifts when they become ungrateful but then, there I am again shopping away because I find things I know they’ll love. Hopefully I can allow God to help me show them this year, so that they truly understand in their hearts, what Christmas is REALLY all about. God is awesome and I can do all things through Him!! Amen!

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