The Christmas season is not my favorite time of year.  Easter is!  I do love and cherish the reason for the season, but I do not enjoy the commercialism of the holiday.  The stress of buying gifts is very overwhelming to me.  I prefer to do things throughout the year and not all at one time.  I LOVE to give gifts...just when God leads me to do something special for another, not because it is expected or demanded by the world. 

Yes, I am done with our Christmas shopping and no, it was not the most fun I've ever had.  We, like most, give gifts that really won't be liked or appreciated, to those who prefer gift cards or cash, WHICH are NOT appropriate gifts.  (I have done that in the past and it is easy, I must say, but there is really no thought, feeling or emotion behind that.)

I will never forget the Christmas that we did not do gifts for our family.  I must have been around junior high age and was shocked when my mother told me that we were forgoing gifts for ourselves and taking a family to Sear's to buy them Christmas that year.  It was the BEST Christmas EVER.  Part of the joy in it was that the family was actually there and I got to help the kids pick out whatever they wanted.  I did not know them and they did not know me.  I don't even know if they knew that we were "sacrificing", but it was just so impacting that I know that is why all this other "commercialism" brings me great frustration.

I know God is nudging at my soul to do more for others than for us.  We do all the typical giving to the offerings in Plainview during the holidays, but is that enough?  I'm praying about where God is leading...are you?

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Find of the day is this really cool storage container...