Keeping Christ in ChristmasBy Avis Ward
"There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. Behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. The angel said to them, "Don't be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. For there is born to you, this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:8-11
Wise men, or Magi, first arrived in Jerusalem and reported to the king of Judea, Herod the Great, that they had seen a star heralding the birth of a King. Further inquiry led them to Bethlehem of Judea and the location of Mary and Joseph. They presented Jesus with treasures of "gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the anointed one and His anointing. It is a most Holy day and cannot be celebrated without remembering Christ's death and resurrection. For God so loved the world that He gave. He gave His only begotten son of a virgin. His son gave His life for us; bore our sins so that we might have eternal life. What Mother can begin to imagine Mary's position? Joseph could have become egotistical to think he chose Mary just as the Holy Spirit had. If he had doubts about her virginity, an angel visited him to give him confirmation.
We must be careful all the glitter, pageantry, wrapping paper, decorations and socializing does not diminish the true meaning of Christmas. The first Christmas has no resemblance to our present day celebration. There was no room in a Bethlehem Inn for the Savior of the world to be born! Baby Jesus did not have a nursery filled with the finest furnishings from Ethan Allen, Sears, Babies 'R Us or Wal-Mart. He had very humble beginnings although He was a Prince.
As we exchange gifts, we must express thanks for the greatest Gift of all. Tell your children what you will about Santa but teach them the story of baby Jesus, born in a manger, no crib for a bed and no receiving blanket. He was wrapped in strips of cloth. Tell them of that silent and Holy night when Christ our Savior was born and of the gifts He was given. When they are old enough to understand, a nativity scene in your home can be used to teach them about Jesus' birth. Teaching them to focus on giving instead of receiving will take them farther in life than having them believe it is better to receive than give.
Let's keep Christ in Christmas! Let's not X(mas) Him out.
© 2006 Avis Ward
Avis Ward is an aspiring writer who enjoys writing about her spirituality, self-improvement, relationships, and women's issues. She is an Orthodontic Consultant. http://avisward.com Avis invites you to view her blog.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Avis_Ward
Friday, November 21, 2008
Moms - Spend Sensibly During the Holidays!By Laurie Crafton
With the hype that holidays usually bring, people always have the tendency to buy more and spend more without taking into account the consequences that their actions can bring.
Hence, it does not necessarily mean that because it is the holidays you have all the reason in this world to buy whatever you want and spend how much you want. Some people contend that it's just once a year, so better give what you have.
The problem is that giving something just for the spirit of the holidays does not mean you have to spend gold. You can still give something that will be deeply appreciated without having to spend more money.
Here's how:
1. Make a budget and stick to it
The problem with most people is that they find making a budget relatively easy but sticking to it is doubly hard. So what's the point of making a budget when you do not know how to conform to what you have stated in there?
Making and using your budget should always go hand in hand. Therefore, when you make your budget this holiday season, it is best that you follow the things that are written in it so that you would be able to save more money.
2. Live within your means
Of course, everybody would want to give gifts because that is what the holiday season calls for. However, it does not necessarily mean that you have to spend more than what you can afford.
The trick to saving more money is to always live within your means. Spending more than what you can afford will definitely bring more problems than you can afford to solve.
3. Personalize it!
As they say, it is the thought that counts. Hence, there are no better ways to show how much you have thought of those people this holiday season than making personalized gifts.
4. Shop and compare
It really pays to shop around and doubly better when you compare prices. You will never know which items are better priced than the others are when you do not compare their values.
The point here is that you should not be confined to one shopping portal. Try to look for other items, usually in thrift stores and consignment shops, where you can find the best items at a lower price.
Indeed, shopping for the holidays can be fun, but you don't have to be spendthrift. Nowadays, you really just have to be practical.
Laurie is a stay at home mom and has been researching legitimate home based businesses for over 13 years. Through her research, she provides information for other stay at home mom's or any other individuals looking to start home based businesses. She prides herself in finding trusted information and weeding out the scams. Visit her website where you will find advice, articles, freebies and legitimate work from home opportunities.
http://www.stayathomemomsunite.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laurie_Crafton
With the hype that holidays usually bring, people always have the tendency to buy more and spend more without taking into account the consequences that their actions can bring.
Hence, it does not necessarily mean that because it is the holidays you have all the reason in this world to buy whatever you want and spend how much you want. Some people contend that it's just once a year, so better give what you have.
The problem is that giving something just for the spirit of the holidays does not mean you have to spend gold. You can still give something that will be deeply appreciated without having to spend more money.
Here's how:
1. Make a budget and stick to it
The problem with most people is that they find making a budget relatively easy but sticking to it is doubly hard. So what's the point of making a budget when you do not know how to conform to what you have stated in there?
Making and using your budget should always go hand in hand. Therefore, when you make your budget this holiday season, it is best that you follow the things that are written in it so that you would be able to save more money.
2. Live within your means
Of course, everybody would want to give gifts because that is what the holiday season calls for. However, it does not necessarily mean that you have to spend more than what you can afford.
The trick to saving more money is to always live within your means. Spending more than what you can afford will definitely bring more problems than you can afford to solve.
3. Personalize it!
As they say, it is the thought that counts. Hence, there are no better ways to show how much you have thought of those people this holiday season than making personalized gifts.
4. Shop and compare
It really pays to shop around and doubly better when you compare prices. You will never know which items are better priced than the others are when you do not compare their values.
The point here is that you should not be confined to one shopping portal. Try to look for other items, usually in thrift stores and consignment shops, where you can find the best items at a lower price.
Indeed, shopping for the holidays can be fun, but you don't have to be spendthrift. Nowadays, you really just have to be practical.
Laurie is a stay at home mom and has been researching legitimate home based businesses for over 13 years. Through her research, she provides information for other stay at home mom's or any other individuals looking to start home based businesses. She prides herself in finding trusted information and weeding out the scams. Visit her website where you will find advice, articles, freebies and legitimate work from home opportunities.
http://www.stayathomemomsunite.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laurie_Crafton
Wonderful Ways to Save Money during the Christmas SeasonBy Matt Ide
Wonderful ways to save money during the Christmas Season The Christmas season is one of joy and happiness. For children it is a marvelous and magical time of year. A myriad of lights shine from every porch and trees all over the neighborhood twinkle with red, green, yellow, and more.
For many, the best part of Christmas is watching friends and family open up presents. This also leads to many of the stressful parts of the Christmas season, having enough money to afford these gifts without breaking the bank.
It is common for many people to max out their credit cards, in order to afford all the gifts that they want to buy and then after the festivities are over and a new year has begun, these people must spend a great portion of the next year paying off the credits cards. By the time the credit cards are paid off, the next Christmas season will almost be here.
Ways to save money 1. Start Saving early-It might be a little late in the season for this one, but it will be useful for next year. By just putting ten dollars a week away, starting around the first of the year, you can have enough Christmas funds saved up that you won’t have to stress about having enough money.
2. Christmas Funds-Many banks provide Christmas Funds where a portion of your paycheck, (whatever you want to make it), will go into this account. Then a time is set upon the account and you can’t access the money until a predetermined time, such as December 1st, for example. This can be done through direct deposit or you can take the money in and make a deposit.
3. Look for bargains-Often times, the department stores will have clearance racks that just might have great items for you Uncle Steve, who loves plaid. Always keep an eye on these racks, you just never know what you are going to find.
4. Second Hand Stores-This is a great place to find kids toys, books, and clothes. The kids, if they are young enough, won’t even know that the toys are second hand if it is in good condition and you will only pay about a third of the actual price. This goes for clothes too. However, what kid wants clothes for Christmas?
5. Homemade Goods-This is one of the best ways to save money on gifts for the Christmas Season. If you have a lot of people on your Christmas list this year, you might want to consider making something. There are tons of ideas you can find on the internet or in books from the library. Anything from, handmade soap to pre-made hot chocolate in a jar that you mixed can make a great gift. Anything goes in this category-let your imagination run wild.
Keep in mind that you might have to give gifts, this Christmas season, but you don’t have to break the bank to do it.
If you like this article and would like to see more, or would like to see some inexpensive gifts and ideas go to http://www.knightwriternet.com/.
Matt Ide has four childrene that he loves to play with especially during the holiday season. You can find more great ideas and presents at his christmas site: http://www.knightwriternet.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Ide
Wonderful ways to save money during the Christmas Season The Christmas season is one of joy and happiness. For children it is a marvelous and magical time of year. A myriad of lights shine from every porch and trees all over the neighborhood twinkle with red, green, yellow, and more.
For many, the best part of Christmas is watching friends and family open up presents. This also leads to many of the stressful parts of the Christmas season, having enough money to afford these gifts without breaking the bank.
It is common for many people to max out their credit cards, in order to afford all the gifts that they want to buy and then after the festivities are over and a new year has begun, these people must spend a great portion of the next year paying off the credits cards. By the time the credit cards are paid off, the next Christmas season will almost be here.
Ways to save money 1. Start Saving early-It might be a little late in the season for this one, but it will be useful for next year. By just putting ten dollars a week away, starting around the first of the year, you can have enough Christmas funds saved up that you won’t have to stress about having enough money.
2. Christmas Funds-Many banks provide Christmas Funds where a portion of your paycheck, (whatever you want to make it), will go into this account. Then a time is set upon the account and you can’t access the money until a predetermined time, such as December 1st, for example. This can be done through direct deposit or you can take the money in and make a deposit.
3. Look for bargains-Often times, the department stores will have clearance racks that just might have great items for you Uncle Steve, who loves plaid. Always keep an eye on these racks, you just never know what you are going to find.
4. Second Hand Stores-This is a great place to find kids toys, books, and clothes. The kids, if they are young enough, won’t even know that the toys are second hand if it is in good condition and you will only pay about a third of the actual price. This goes for clothes too. However, what kid wants clothes for Christmas?
5. Homemade Goods-This is one of the best ways to save money on gifts for the Christmas Season. If you have a lot of people on your Christmas list this year, you might want to consider making something. There are tons of ideas you can find on the internet or in books from the library. Anything from, handmade soap to pre-made hot chocolate in a jar that you mixed can make a great gift. Anything goes in this category-let your imagination run wild.
Keep in mind that you might have to give gifts, this Christmas season, but you don’t have to break the bank to do it.
If you like this article and would like to see more, or would like to see some inexpensive gifts and ideas go to http://www.knightwriternet.com/.
Matt Ide has four childrene that he loves to play with especially during the holiday season. You can find more great ideas and presents at his christmas site: http://www.knightwriternet.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Ide
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