Celebrating Santa Lucia day...our little Lucia and Starboy:)

All my tradition-loving, Swedish-obsessed dreams came true on Sunday when my kids got just as excited as I did to celebrate Santa Lucia day (Dec 13th). We've been reading this sweet book SO much to prepare the kids for Lucia day, that now the words "Pepparkakor" and "Lussekatter" are part of their vocabulary haha!! 

More importantly though, we've spent a lot of time trying to explain the deeper meaning of the holiday. That the candles on Lucia's head symbolize the light of Christ, who came into this dark world. 

Isaiah 9:2 

The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.

Traditionally the oldest daughter of the household brings treats into each person's room in the early morning when it's still dark outside, powerfully demonstrating the impact of Christ's light.  Our little Lucia didn't wake up till 8:30am that day, so we just keep off all the lights in the house (and conveniently it was a rainy day, so it was still a bit dark, haha!). 

We spent Saturday December 12th prepping for the day, baking Swedish treats and getting their costumes ready. I tried out a gluten free Pepparkakor recipe (Swedish gingerbread) and it actually turned out amazing (recipe is here in case you want to try it!). Late that night I tried my hand a a gluten free Lussekatter bun, but alas, my g-free bread making skills are NOT up to par. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't that good hahah! I think I may abandon ship on the gluten free bun, and just make a sugar cookie that resembles the bun next year...much more tasty hahah!! 

My mom made Avonlea the sweetest little Lucia dress, sewed from the same material that lined my bassinet 36 years ago. My nostalgic heart was in heaven. I had bought this crown on amazon, and then just laced her dress with a red ribbon:) I made Everett a star boy hat and wand, and then conveniently decided to dress him in his star pajamas that we already owned. 

On the morning of the 13th, I sent Kevin back to bed (he had already been up for hours haha), and got the kids dressed in their costumes. I gave Avie a small tray of Swedish goodies, and then hand in hand, we all climbed the stairs of our new home to give Kevin the buns. If you're on IG, I posted a super sweet video of Avonlea bringing the treats up! 

We then spent the rest of the day dropping off Lucia treats at the homes of friends and family. We first went to my parents house...my sister and her husband were visiting so all four of them pretended to be asleep in the living room. Avonlea came in singing her song and bearing treats. It was so cute! We tried to bring treats to many of the widows we know, and it was heartwarming to see how much they appreciated the gesture. 

As I reflected on the day, I realized that small acts of kindness are what brings Christ's light. Yes, big acts of service are amazing too...but on a day to day basis we can tangibly bring warmth and light to others by thinking of them and showing up.

This is a fun holiday to celebrate with rich meaning and exciting things to do as little ones (dress up, eat sweets, see friend and family haha!) 

How we are Celebrating Advent- Keeping Christ the Center and bringing magic to our holiday season

You may have heard the famous quote from Howard Hendricks who said,

"It is a sin to bore a child with the word of God."

While I have no idea if this is theologically true, I am of the idea that Christ is the most AMAZING person on earth and we as parents and caregivers have a special responsibility to present his magnificence as such!

Jim Rayburn, the founder of Young Life said, 

“Christ is the strongest, grandest, most attractive personality ever to grace the earth. But a careless messenger with the wrong method can reduce all this magnificence to the level of boredom…It is a crime to bore anyone with the gospel.”

You guys, isn't Christmas the most beautiful time of the year to capture our children's hearts with the grandeur of our God, who literally left the glory of heaven to come down to earth as a tiny babe? 

So, with that in mind, I have been thinking and praying a lot about what I wanted to lay as a foundation for our family times together in December. 

I'm a maximizer, so I scoured the internet and polled all my IG friends, looking for the best, most succinct and meaningful ideas. So, as a result, here is how I'm planning out my December this year: 

1) Starting and Ending our day with a daily rhythm that instills the true meaning of Christmas. 

The two constants I will hold each day are: 

 A. The Jesse Tree: I've heard of this, but have never done it before so this will be my first year. Essentially it's a daily devotion for kids that covers stories that lead up to the birth of Christ, tracing the heritage and lineage of Christ. There are corresponding ornaments that the kids can put on a small tree after the devotion. My friend Adrienne is a wealth of knowledge and had a few Jesse Tree books I checked out. I polled her kids, and their favorite one was this one, The Advent Jesse Tree, which I bought! I also bought a fake tree at a yard sale for $1, so we will use that to hang the ornaments on in the dining room! I will update you all with how it goes via IG.  

B) Nativity Reading: Each night after the kids have bathed and are in their jammies, we end the night with reading a child's nativity book. I found this one at Barnes & Nobles a few years ago, and we read the same one every night. Last year, Avie had memorized it, it was so cute. All four of us load on the couch together, and when the book is over we ask Avie if she wants to pray and thank God for sending his son to earth. It blesses my heart to hear her little prayers. Then, we let them open their chocolate advent calendars (which is such a great memory from my childhood!). As they get older I will probably find a more grown up nativity book to read to them, and have them start memorizing certain passages of scripture.   

2) Calendar fun Christmas Activities for each day of the month! 

I printed out a December Calendar from the internet that had nice and big boxes to write ideas for each day.  The ideas range between carefree Christmas fun as well as meaningful Christ centered activities. Please know that NONE of these are high maintenance or require much prep at all. I am a VERY thrifty person, so none of these costs much at all (most of them are free...).  

IDEAS FOR A CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY FOR EACH DAY OF THE MONTH: 

- Read The Giving Manger and explain to your kids how it works!

 I bought this kit a few years ago and think it's a great resource for preparing our kids hearts for giving instead of receiving. Essentially, the kit comes with an adorable book about a family that decides they will do kind things for one another instead of exchanging "gifts" on Christmas. With each kind thing they do, they get to put straw into Jesus' manger in order to prepare his bed. Even though my kids are little, Avonlea is already grasping the concept and this morning we brainstormed "kind things" she could do to get a piece of straw (for her 3 year old self it included things like "clean up the living room" or "share your toys with Everett" or "give kisses and hugs to family"). I will probably always put this activity on December 1st so it can be a month long thing we enjoy together! 

- Light candles in the dark and talk about what it means that Jesus is the light of the world 

- Christmas movie with popcorn (I'm going to have everyone wear their Christmas Jammies!) I collected Christmas dvds from yard sales throughout the year and kept them until now for the kids to open. 

- Present the kids with a kid friendly nativity set (I just bought this cute one here that was $17 on amazon). Every year I will wrap it up and present it to them one day so they can display it and play with it. 

- Hide the Nativity set for the kids to find. Talk about the wise man's journey and what it would have been like for the shepherds to see the angels in the sky! 

- Christmas craft day with Friends! I went to Hobby Lobby and Michaels on Black Friday weekend and picked up the cutest little toddler friendly crafts for cheap (we're talking like $1-$3 each). Things like ornaments to paint/color, a nativity set to color, foam snowman to put together, etc! 

- Make snowflakes for the windows out of tissue paper and scissors. 

- Paint Picture frames to give as gifts with their pictures- I found wooden picture frames at Hobby Lobby for super cheap, and plan to let the kids paint them. Then I want to put a picture of my kids with their grandparents in them so my kids can present them as a gift. 

- Christmas Music dance party- I plan to put on some fun Christmas music and pick up some glow sticks for the kids at the Dollar Tree. All four of us will turn off the lights and dance to Christmas music with our glow sticks and fire light!! 

- Make Christmas Cookies for the neighbors- Since we just moved, we really want to get to know our neighbors more, and are excited to bless them with holiday treats and a card. One of the biggest ways we can model being friendly and intentional to our children is going door to door to neighbors houses to introduce ourselves and offer a gift. In our old neighborhood Avonlea became very comfortable with going door to door often to say hello and bring gifts. We hope to model that in this neighborhood too:) 

- Special candy cane hot chocolate with whip cream and marshmallows 

There are also a few special days in December we plan to celebrate: 

DECEMBER 6th (or the eve of Dec 5)- St. Nicholaus Day

Growing up, whenever we asked my dad if Santa was real, he would already reply "the spirit of Santa is real", which is so very true. Santa came from the patron saint Nicholaus who cared for the needy and was known for his compassion and charity. This is a great day to talk to your kids about the real meaning behind Santa, and remember that his legacy is focused more on giving than receiving. I plan to use this day to share the true story of St. Nic and to brainstorm with my kids about how we can be a family who gives, not just in Dec, but all year round. I've also seen friends who have their kids put their shoes out the night before and wake up with a gift or two in them:) 

DECEMBER 13: Santa Lucia Day

My dad is Swedish, and I grew up hearing about the tradition of St. Lucia from all my cousins in Sweden. We celebrated it for the first time last year, and it was SOOO much fun! Essentially, the oldest daughter in the family wears a white dress and crown of candles on her head and brings the family yummy treats in the early morning hours of December 13th. It symbolizes St. Lucia from Italy who was a martyr for her faith (you can read more about the holiday and our experience celebrating it last year here). But I love the visual of light (from the candle wreath on Lucia) coming into the dark, symbolizing Christ as the light coming into the world. 

(So on my calendar December 12th will be a prep day for Lucia day, and we will make all the saffron buns, and then December 13th we will celebrate Lucia day!) 

- Find ways to serve & bless others as a family! 

Friends, I hope this gets you excited to move into an intentional season. This information isn't to burden you or to add another thing on your to-do list. The most intensive part of this process for me was sitting down with a calendar and coming up with ideas (but even that only took about 30 minutes one time). Most of these activities are things I kind of wing the day of to add a little fun and warmth of Christ to our home. But it sure does help having it all calendared out so I can see what I have planned for each day!  

You can do this mama!!! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS & ADVENT!!! 

 

An Advent reflection

Oh friends, this time of year is pure bliss for me. I LOVE decorating, Christmas traditions, baking, scented candles, finding the perfect gift for others...and stilling my heart in preparation for the birth of our glorious Savior. Isn't He wonderful?

The last few days i've been reading the Christmas story in the morning, meditating on all the glorious events surrounding His birth. This story is not new to me. I grew up doing Advent devotions every night with my family, reading the beautifully illustrated and giant Christmas book my mom had. Every night all four of us kids would cozy up on the couch surrounding my mom, and listen to the events unfold. What is such a sacred mystery to me is how the story can bring forth such newness every year. Like the Lord has a treasure just for me enfolded into HIS story, that meets my weary heart right where I am at.

This year is no different. A few days ago I was reading from Luke 1:46-56, a portion entitled "Mary's Song". Mary's jubulent voice can be heard right after she is visited by an angel, learning of the precious life inside of her. I've read this passage many times, where she praises and glorifies the Lord for the opportunity to be a part of the ancient story of God.

But what struck me this year was very different.

In the second half of verse 51, Mary cries
"He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts"

and a few lines later says, "He has lifted up the humble"

It's the age old juxtaposition between the Proud heart and the Humble heart. And boy, was that convicting. Christmas ushers in a time to become right with the living God. Over and over in scripture we see God's pure hatred of pride. And over and over again, my heart can be overcome by this deadly sin. I hate it.

So this season, I was to be so mindful that Jesus came
HUMBLY into the world

to live a life characterized by
HUMILITY

and to die a
HUMBLE DEATH

for me.

May we take a moment (or a LONG time) this season, to humbly come before the Lord and wash away our pride. To bring us to the place where we can see the Christmas story with SUCH JOY and utter ANTICIPATION because the remedy to our pride IS COMING. HE IS COMING.

May it bring us to our knees in absolute awe and wonder, because we know with utter desperation that there is nothing else like HIM.

Jesus.

sweet, sweet Jesus.

So on my knees, I glorify and praise Him. Like Mary, like Elizabeth and Zachariah, like the Shepherds, and like Joseph.

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rest"

Amen!

Happy weekend sweet friends!

power in the story

{Our tree decorated for Christmas}

Today marks day 3 of eating on $2 a day, and already sacrifice has yielded a harvest of increased focus on the eternal. When hungry hands extend toward beloved almonds, I recoil, acutely aware that delicacies such as these do not fit into our new eating pattern. Nor do they fit into the pattern of the millions of people who struggle to live on $2 a day for the rest of their life. But life sans almonds has churned beauty in my life, for it is brought me back to the story.

His Story.

Committing to Love in Action for Kev and I wasn't just about eating less food. No, it was pledge to dive deeper within the journey of discovering the roots that changed the trajectory of interaction between natural and supernatural. Put simply, it was a desire to return to the story of Jesus. Savior. Messiah. Emmanuel.

3 nights and counting, Kevin and I sit hands held and hearts open. Be with us Lord.

We take turns letting holy scriptures roll off our tongue, recounting the stories that surround His birth. Teach us Lord.

Minds moving as we read the devotion and answer the questions. Mold us Lord.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to diving soul and spirit, joins and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" -Hebrews 4:12

Powerful. I cannot explain it. For years, I have not focused my heart on the Christmas story in such a pointed way. And what a shame, for the power in God's word is a heavenly kind of lovely- it is overwhelming. The treasures of teaching layered into the advent scriptures has already bent my heart toward HIM. Mary's deep trust, Joseph's obedience, Elizabeth's blessings. Ordinary people whom God used to showcase deep Kingdom truths. Human hearts in obedience to the King set the stage for Heaven to break into the world.

And that is the beauty of this story. It moves us. It changes us. No matter how many times eyes have scanned the birth narrative, God's power projects through words and penetrates our heart. He teaches. We learn. He molds.

If you want to journey with us, I have added a tab to my blog titled Advent Devotions. (if you want them in a document to print out, ask me and i'll email it to you!) I have written 14 devotions to coincide with Love in Action. There is a passage of scriptures taken from the Christmas narrative, the actual devotion, questions, and then an ELI staff member or child you can pray for in Kenya. Setting aside intentional time to walk through these passages has already brought Kevin and I closer together as we move towards the truth and beauty of this season. Will you too find time each day to find power in HIs Story?

{ Snuggling up for devotion time }

And if you are wondering...we are still enjoying our food (it hasn't become too monotonous yet! but of course...we're only 3 days in, haha!). But I do miss my almonds!

How do you celebrate Advent?

love Katie

advent...join me, I dare you!

{ LOVE these globe ornaments my mama bought me last Christmas! Now I have a tree of my own to put them on! }

{ putting together my $3.42 split pea soup...lunch for the entire week! }

Today begins Advent...the beautiful season of anticipation where we wait to celebrate the birth of our Messiah! As a girl, mom and dad and 3 siblings would round the wreath and light candles and read the sacred story of our Savior's magnificent decent. We would pray and then excitedly fling open tiny doors on advent calendars, gobble chocolate, and then four sleepy children were off to bed.

Advent:

a season to remember his love.

a season to learn his love.

a season to give his love.

God calls us to love Him with everything in us and to love our neighbors as ourselves. But what does it look like in a world where 25,000 of our "neighbors" die from hunger each day, while our refrigerators and cupboards overflow with excess food? How do we love our neighbors as ourselves? How do we keep from falling into the sin of Sodom explained in Ezekiel 16:49? "They were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."

Empowering Lives International, the organization I work for, is challenging us to put sacrificial love into action by living on a food budget of $2 a day for 2 weeks. You can find out all the details for LOVE IN ACTION here (there are some amazing resources, like menu options, ideas for families with kids, etc) but below I am going to start documenting the LOVE IN ACTION journey Kevin and I embark on this season:)

This Advent, Kevin and I have committed to eating on a food budget of $2 a day for 2 weeks.

We want to love and pray for our neighbors in East Africa (Kenya, Congo, Tanzania, and Kenya).

We want to give out of sacrifice, not just of excess.

But bottom line, we want to be obedient to our radiant Savior who came to love and serve the poor.

If you want to join in the fun I will send you a 14 day advent devotional that I wrote (one devotion for each day), AND you can post your experiences either here on my blog OR join the event on the Empowering Lives facebook event called Love in Action- Advent Experience.

so....here goes our prep:

Kev and I pooled our entire budget for the week....at $2 a day we both have individually $14 for the week, or a collective total of $28 for both of us for the week.

Between La Bodega (our little Mexican market down the street), Trader Joe's, and Ralph's, here is what we came up with for the week:

Breakfast

$2.50 - Big box of Oatmeal

$1.49- Carton of eggs

Lunch

$3.42 - Split pea soup

• $1- bag of split peas
• $0.50- bag of carrots
• $0.69- bag of celery
• $0.23- one onion
• $1- ham hock

{Kev chopping the carrots for our split pea soup }

Snacks

$2.49- bag of 8 apples

$1- bag of popcorn

$1.14- 6 bananas

$1.99- bag of spinach

{ Excited that my favorite snack (popcorn) only costs $1 and will last me for both weeks, woo hoo! }

{ beloved (reppin' Indo) with our yummy/healthy snacks! }

Dinner

$2.99- bag of basmati rice

$2.67- 3 cans of black beans

$2.20- salsa

$1.99- chips

$3.99- smoked apple chicken sausage

For a GRAND total of $27.87....JUST under our $28!

we are so excited to live and pray for our brothers and sisters in East Africa, and begin to live out more of the Father's heart for the poor. Will you join us in focusing your heart this advent season?

Love Katie (and Kevin too!)