The Gift

Every year as Advent approaches I have lots of grand ideas. I look up Jesse Tree activities to do with Just Son. I seek out new devotions and gather our prayer books, all in the name of teaching JS the real meaning of Christmas. For the first few days, everything goes according to plan and we miraculously are able to do every activity. But then reality sets in -- and December commitments begin -- and we start skipping a day. Or two. Or more.

This year, I may have found the answer:

This box.

The box once contained a Christmas ornament that was given to me as a gift. The ornament now gets stored in a larger ornament container with other delicate treasures, but I've never been able to let go of this velvety box.

The box sometimes ends up as part of a Christmas vignette on the mantel, the coffee table or a shelf. But it always sits empty. That is, until this year.

Every day since Sunday (the first day of Advent), Just Family has been writing down on small scraps of paper things we were thankful for that day. Those scraps then get stored inside the box. On Christmas morning, we'll open the box and look through all the gifts we've been given throughout Advent as a reminder of the greatest Gift and all He has done in our lives.

The best part for this oftentimes overly committed family? Writing down our blessings takes but a minute, but that minute helps us pause and remember what this season is all about.

In case you're wondering what JS has been thankful for these past few days, his answer has always been his cats. ;-D