Ok, I admit, I’m all about practical. Forget the fluff, give me concrete. Forget the highfalutin mumbo jumbo and give me straight up it-looks-like-this! So it might not come as a big surprise to you that in the weeks before Christmas I got a little aggravated. It felt like every day, multiple times every day, someone posted on their Face Book wall something like this: “Remember the Reason for the season” or “Keep Christ in Christmas”. Now I am totally NOT implying that those saying are wrong or that I’m picking a fight if you posted one of this little sayings on Face Book. But after reading these multiple times, I got aggravated. What exactly does that mean? How to you “keep Christ in Christmas”? What does it look like to “remember the Reason for the season”? But it got me thinking……..
And our Jesus Box tradition was born!
Each year, since having our babies, we’ve done the Nativity Tree (see post here for what that looks like and you might want to read the comments under the post for more info). The Nativity Tree is something that my family did when I was growing up and it’s great for small kid involvement. Even at 21 months old Ben was able to participate.
But I was thinking maybe, just maybe we needed something more. On Christmas morning we usually read the Christmas story and attend a Christmas Eve service, but were my children understanding…..you know really getting it.
And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (emphasis added)
What you do to the least of these……that’s what I want my children to understand about Christmas……Jesus came for the least of these….us. And now we can go in Jesus’ name to the least of these……others…….and show them the gift of Jesus.
So with this verse in mind Stephen wrapped our Jesus Box in beautiful colorful paper and I started talking about the special box. Carlos was the most intrigued. He kept asking “how are we going to give Jesus a present?” and “I can’t wait to open the Jesus Box!” and “I thought Jesus was in heaven, how are we going to get this box to heaven?” And the questions came rolling in!!
This year our Jesus Box held four $10.00 bills…..one for each child. And we have designed that money to purchase groceries for a family in need. These few dollars that my children help spend will be feeding the hungry in Jesus’ name.
And maybe that’s not what you think of when you hear, “keep Christ in Christmas”, but that’s what it looks like in our house! 
House of Smooches 