Stupid Santa

I hate Santa. And I hope to show people how it is possible to have Christmas without that stupid man. Chocolate Bars from Russell Stovers were decorated like a dollar bill, but said "In Santa We Trust" and that just rings true for the season. It is 10% Jesus in the manger and 90% make believe Hoo-HA. You can try to justify the stupidity all you want but it's just the plain hard truth. You ruin Christmas when you make up such a dumb existence of Santa because you think it's worth it to see your kids "believe" in something. How about the virgin birth and resurrection of Jesus? Then parents wonder why their kids grow up to not believe in anything. Captain Obvious.

Dolls are Idols IMO

My children have no stuffed animals or dolls. I'm not going to be dogmatic about it- this decision is for my family. My interpretation of the scripture is not to make any likeness of beast or male or female. And the new testament warns little children to keep themselves from idols. Cough* Cough* Dolls? It dawned on me most when I caught my daughter, only 16 months old, talking to them like they are alive. I don't find it cute nor do I feel it has to be natural part of childhood for children to have imaginary friends. They should have siblings and real people and if possible, animal pets. I don't see how just because an idol is made from stone or wood qualifies it, but if we make statues out of plastic or cloth, it is okay? And the "as long as you don't worship it" argument doesn't  hold up. How do you know what's in a child's heart? Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child. How do you know they don't worship the idols just like a heathen sets up their figurines and are fond of them. Heathens have created imaginary friends that have eyes but see not and mouths but speak not. The child does the same thing. I thought of the movie Cast Away, how he was stranded on the island, but he didn't grow in a relationship talking to God, instead he created an idol "Wilson" and like a child, it was sad to part with his make believe friend.  But whether you disagree that stuffed animals & dolls are idols- I'm still erring on the side of caution. Because it is something they don't "need" anyway, and children for centuries have done without. Really giving children stuffed animals and baby dolls now, makes sense to the modern world because of birth control children less and less see and care for babies and children less and less get to have pets (farm life) and rarely interact with animals on a daily basis. Now, I will never go as extreme to say dolls and stuffed animals are "demon possessed" because that is stupid and I see some of the Yahweh crowd taking it too far to say it has a demonic presence unknowingly in your house. Get a grip. But I think the harm is just the same as a heathen, living in an imaginary world with false gods. I want my children to be in reality, and why give them a stuffed rabbit when I have real rabbits outside they can play with and see the handiwork of God? Why have them depend on a doll to feel comfortable at night, when they should learn to trust in the Lord and real hope. My case is closed. My choice for my family. I won't look down my nose at you of course, but don't look down your nose at me! :)

DeClutter

I have seen a popular desire amongst other bloggers to declutter! I feel the same way, and I only have a family of 4. But junk just gets in the way and makes cleaning up take twice as long, and scrambles your brain when you try to think where the important things are. Some ways I have decluttered:

1. Dishes. I think it is the smartest idea to have 1 plate, 1 bowl, 1 spoon, 1 fork, 1 knive PER family member, and make the dishes unique to each person so we know who left their dish dirty, etc. Also getting rid of unnecessary pots & pans
2. Clothes: You only need 2-3 outfits of each type: outdoor play, everyday public wear, & pajamas. IF that. Laundry doesn't have to be a necessary evil, if we would stop trying to have so many different outfits. No one thinks twice what you wear in public. Especially in my family, because my husband does construction work he just wears jeans & t-shirts, so it's easy to just keep 2-3 pairs of jeans in rotation and replace when one pair gets super worn out. Same goes for socks & underwear. Have a minimum amount and then just buy new ones when they get worn out. My husband when I first married him, literally had almost 30 pairs of worn out socks, that he felt still had some life. So I convinced him to just have 6 pairs at a time, and so they can wear out faster and you can replace them instead of wearing 30 pairs for so long. makes sense!
3. Toys. Children. Don't. Need. So many. Toys. PERIOD. I have gotten rid of 75% of toys, and kept more practical toys. Children have lived CENTURIES without so many toys, but in the past children had bigger families and possibly a farm with animals. And that's a whole post in and of itself, how I do not let my children have stuffed animals or dolls.

Now I envy sometimes 'normal" people that live in subdivisions, and really only have to maintain the household, because 50% of my clutter angst comes from outside (being we raise chickens, ducks, pigs, goats, & rabbits) there seems to always be some loose trash some where from feed bags. Buckets, trays & wire loose in the yard, as well as wood & tools. It can be a wreck outside!

Do it all on Christmas Eve & Christmas???

I was reading a suggested article about the history of Christmas, and thought it was interesting that historically, a lot of countries only decorated the tree on Christmas Eve. I got to thinking about my memories of Christmas as a child, and I don't really remember seeing the tree decorated in the house everyday leading up to Christmas (though it was there normally by the second week in Dec). But I do remember that special night when we did decorate the tree, while playing Christmas songs, baking cookies & what not. It actually is appealing to me the idea: decorating on Christmas Eve.

I would love to try this one year and try to compact all the Christmas festivities as much as possible. Instead of a drawn out season. I plan to homeschool & only have off 1 week for Christmas. But hey- we will see!

NIV error

Ordered a KJV Bible for a friend, but on the manufacturer box was John 3:16 in the NIV:


"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son..."

When we are born again in the body of believers, we are sons of God. The King James says:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son..."


Jesus is the only "begotten" of the Father by the virgin Mary, overshadowed by the power of the Highest. Emmanuel meaning "God with Us"

Christmas Traditions

Though my kids are only 16months & 3 months. I can't help but spend a little free time brainstorming a list of things that I want to make tradition in my home. I'm one of those people that doesn't like to do something completely new or unplanned every year, because I want it to be tradition and familiar (especially food- Like making the same type of cookies every year, same decorations, etc). Many of these go without say.


(And we don't do Santa, the flying reindeer, elf of shelf, etc- I only tell my kids the truth. I hate Santa with a passion. I'm not going to lie to my kids because it's not good for them to "believe" in something false. Then they grow up to think the virgin birth of Jesus was also fiction. Every good gift comes from above. Not a  semi-god figure. And I also never have memories of thinking anything special of Santa. I always knew it was stupid.) 

1. Church (ofcourse) & soul winning 
• I will note- I love the "Hanging of the Greens" It is a memorable time when the church would be dimly lit as the congregation sang Christmas Hymns while different church groups decorated the Sanctuary in procession.  I also miss the choir practices for Christmas cantatas & the Christmas Plays and other activities in Sunday School and Youth Group. It was the best time of the year in church- and we did a lot of community service- of course void of Soul winning? Southern Baptist vs. Fundamental Baptist
2. Family Advent Calendar
• I want to either make a nice wooden tree with clothespins to hang the advent bags or either a nice big box with pull out drawers for each day. I want to use the same Advent Calendar every year.
3. Ice Skating
4. Decorating Party *House & Tree*
5. Ornament Crafting
6. Family Portrait
7. Christmas Tree Farm
8. Hunting & Fishing
9. Christmas Parade? boring?
10. Make Christmas Playlist for car
11. Send Christmas Cards
12. Make Gingerbread House &  Contest
13. Cookie Platter Baking Party
14. Christmas Movies
• Charlie Brown
• Drummer Boy
• Nutcracker ??
15. Clove Citrus Pomanders
16. Prepare Winter Bone Broth
17. Watch Handel's Messiah
18. Christmas Caroling? Recital
19. Secret Samaritan within family-siblings
20. Visit Retirement Home & other
21. Zoo lights
22. Shopping for extended family & Friends
23. Stockings stuffed with new winter socks
24. Donate old toys & declutter
25. 12 nights of unwrapping 12 favorite Christmas- related stories to read
• Saw this idea online, and haven't collected any Christmas themed books yet
26. Christmas Eve Dinner
• Try to repeat the same menu every year
27. Christmas Eve Party:
• New Pajamas
• Read Christmas Story
• Open Secret Samaritan Gifts
• Stay up as late as you want 
• Family Time
• Candle Lighting & reflection on Christ
• Caroling??
28. Christmas Morning
• Cinnamon Buns!
• Hot Cocoa
• Open Gifts
29. Christmas Day
• Visit family & give gifts
30.