Christmas- What Really Matters Most and GIVEAWAY!

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Make sure to enter the giveaway!

Every year I do the same thing. I tell myself that I will get all my Christmas shopping, and gifts made and done before Thanksgiving.

This has been a Christmas wish that continues to elude me! It has been on very rare occasions that I actually have sent Christmas gifts early enough that they arrive before Christmas. Such high hopes... maybe this year? I doubt it.  

Whether I have stressed about it or not, by Christmas day, it all works out. Gifts are under the tree, and extended family has come to know that gifts will come in the mail after Christmas. I think of it as an extra Christmas bit of fun extended.

In my 33 years of marriage and 22 years of homeschooling, I have learned that we, parents, need to be the examples of how and WHY Christmas is celebrated.

It's not about how many presents you get, how much you get done, how incredible your Christmas dinner is, or if your house looks as pretty and festive as your neighbor's. Children learn so much more from what they see lived out in our lives than they ever will learn from our words. 

Here are a few ways that our family concentrates more on giving than receiving. 

• Every year World Vision and Compassion come out with a Christmas catalog, when our children were younger, they were given a specific amount of money to spend on purchasing a gift form the catalog.

They would give some of their money from their piggy banks and we would give the rest. This gave us the opportunity to show them the needs of children around the world, to remind them to be thankful for all their many blessings, as well as let them experience the blessing of giving. 

Now, we are doing this with our SIX grandchildren.

• Our homeschool group found ways to give to others: We have made blankets for the homeless shelter, provided groceries for a family to make a Thanksgiving dinner, sent homemade Christmas cards to soldiers, etc. and this year we filled.....

When our children were very young we would read the story of Jesus birth from Luke 2:8-20. They would dress up as Joseph, Mary, Shepherds, baby Jesus, etc and they would act it out as Dad read.

• My husband and I keep the gifts to our children and each other at a minimal. We are not big spenders that blow the budget, go in debt, etc. at Christmas. From the time our children were very young, what they got and how much they got on Christmas day was not the focal point. Why do we give gifts on Christmas? Talk to you child about that. (Legends of Christmas talks about one of the ways gift giving began)

• Find opportunities to give all year long. Your children are watching and learning. Do you make meals for friends and neighbors in need. 

A few of years back, I created Legends of Christmas Printable Pack: Family Study with Activities a couple of years back, just for you who want to make sure your children are learning, but want to enjoy the season as you do. 

Legends of Christmas will give your family a unique study opportunity to learn about the history revolving around Christmas and the many things used to celebrate it today. 

This fun Christmas product includes coloring pages, writing prompts, activities, discussion questions, and Scripture suggestions to help discuss the history of what's addressed as well as raise awareness of how these can relate to Christmas today, especially pointing to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This resource was designed to be used with children of all ages. 50 pages of fun and learning. I know you and your kids will love it! 

 Legends of Christmas

Get 50% off for a limited time with code LEGENDS50

Why do we celebrate Christmas? Because Jesus was born to give His life and we are so thankful for that gift!

Another year, another Christmas! The most wonderful time of the year is upon us. And some of the best things about this time of year is that it's a time of gratitude, togetherness, and celebration.

How does your family focus on giving during the holiday season? I would love to hear. Please comment below.

Christmas came quick this year!!

At least it feels that way when everywhere you turn there are signs of Christmas all around, yet we haven't even gotten to Thanksgiving yet. It seems the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier every year.

It IS the most wonderful time of the year after all, so why not celebrate for as long as we can, right?! To help celebrate this Christmas season, I'm teaming up with a group of amazing bloggers to bring you the 10th annual Christmas Blessings Giveaway!! I can't believe we have been blessing families for TEN years!!

We all love doing this and we look forward to it every year! While the giveaway has changed and evolved a bit over the years, many of participating bloggers have stayed the same - so many generous and dedicated women are behind this giveaway.

This year we will have FOUR winners!! Each winner will get a $200 gift card to wherever they choose - a restaurant, clothing store, grocery store, online retailer - any place that offers gift cards! There are lots of entry options in the Rafflecopter form below - the more you enter, the better your chance of winning! 

I know it can seem tedious and time consuming to go through all the entries, but isn’t a chance at $200 worth it? I think it is!  Plus, all of these amazing bloggers donated their own money towards the prizes, so this giveaway wouldn't be possible without them. 

I hope you'll take the time to check out each one. Who knows, maybe you will find some new blogs to follow.

The giveaway will run from Monday, November 13th through Wednesday, November 22nd (ends at 11:59pm ET). Winner will be notified by email shortly after the giveaway ends and will have 48 hours to respond to claim the prize or another winner will be drawn. By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers.  Please be sure to read the Rafflecopter terms and conditions upon entering. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enjoying the journey,

~Michelle~

   Michelle Osborn is the owner and founder of Homeschooling Teens Successfully and Yellow House Book Rental, specializing in providing homeschool curriculum for rent or purchase, as well as counseling and guidance for homeschool families. She is a wife, a 22-year homeschool veteran, and mom of four children and six grandchildren. Two of her children are now entrepreneurs, running their own successfully businesses. Michelle’s passions include serving by leading worship at her church and encouraging homeschool moms through one on one, social media and speaking engagements. She has found her niche in helping parents ho

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