I also enjoy all of the вЂњWinter FunвЂќ that goes on around this time of the year, you can definitely find me outdoors or indoors at a Winter Wonderland event around that time of the year! I took him to a few this year and he enjoyed them all so much, (even at his tender age of one, lol). I take advantage of the fact that there are a number of plays and productions put on around this time sharing the story of Christ or stories of a Christ like attitude and I desire to expose Eli to these stories, plays and productions all in hopes to teach him about this season. Brooklyn Tabernacle always has an amazing play around this time of the year which leads me to another way I celebrate this time of JesusвЂ™ birth being celebrated. I believe that this service is a perfect way to keep our thoughts and actions towards Christ birth in during the Christmas season. How I see this holiday is that if weвЂ™ve made it about Christ, let it be about Him. A church I used to attend (Church City USA -Eli was dedicated to God here) currently has a Prayer Service Christmas Eve called вЂO Come Let Us Adore HimвЂ™ and if God permits I would like to join this prayer service every year on the eve of Christmas with my family. On this day we enjoy each other and the gift of this. We make a big breakfast and a decent size dinner and eat.

So this year we started a new tradition of ice skating в›ё on this day and I want to continue it. I personally donвЂ™t see CHRIST in some of these traditions and choose to opt out of celebrating Christmas the traditional way (gifts, trees, Santa etc.) I do know a bit of history about this holiday and that is was originally a pagan holiday (holiday celebrated by unbelievers вЂ“ someone who does not believe in the true and living God) in which Christ was later incorporated into in order to win unbelievers over to Christ, and I get it. Some celebrate a day closely related to Christmas called 3 Kings Day while others celebrate the actual birth of Christ on this day. Some celebrate the day believing there is a Santa Clause that comes to deliver presents to little children that are on a good list. Is it a holiday that my family goes all out for? No. I love the season, the festivities and the joy felt around this time of the year. For Christians this day celebrates what we believe to be the most significant weekend in the history of the world (1 Corinthians 15:3). It is called вЂњgoodвЂќ because of the way we (all of humanity) benefit from the death and suffering of Jesus. That Friday is called Good Friday, traditionally a day of fasting and commemorates a day of suffering and death for Jesus. It is celebrated by church goers receiving Palm leaves on that day (John 12:12-19).

The Sunday before Resurrection Sunday is called Palm Sunday which marks the beginning of JesusвЂ™ journey to the cross. I get books that help introduce this story to Eli and share as much of the beauty of this day as I can with him. Leading up to this day I like to dive into the scriptures that lead up to the death and resurrection of my Lord, Jesus.

ItвЂ™s a day where the death and resurrection of my/our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated.Д¬HURCH! CHURCH! CHURCH! I want to be in the presence of others that understand how special this day really is to all of humanity but I also want to be intentional about sharing this Good News/information of this holiday with others, even if itвЂ™s just one other person, so that theyвЂ™ll learn why they too should celebrate this day (Luke 24:38-39). The only holiday I truly celebrate in its entirety and for its true purpose is Easter better known and understood as Resurrection Sunday. I like to do things with meaning and for purpose, not just because, so there are a lot of ways that I acknowledge and donвЂ™t acknowledge holidays that may seem out of the norm for others around the holidays and I am okay with that. I am by no means вЂњtraditionalвЂќ when it comes to celebrating holidays and my reason for this is because I believe that some traditions are simply cliche or traditions that we are overly familiar with and that we donвЂ™t even really know why, we, ourselves participate in them. Specifically : a day marked by a general suspension of work in commemoration of an event Some families have always celebrated specific holidays and some always will.ДЄnother definition of holiday is : a day on which one is exempt from work Holidays like Halloween, Kwanza, Yom Kipper and Christmas. It is my belief that most holidays are believed to be just that, and then there are other holidays that have been apart of some lives for as long as the person could remember. A holiday by definition is a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done.

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