Holidays

One of the more challenging aspects of the ministry has to do with holidays. I'm not talking so much about which ones to celebrate, but rather HOW to make sure you form meaningful family traditions when so many holidays fall on Sunday and/or are key ministry seasons. Sadly, I must admit I've had times when I've chosen to pout and grouse about how intrusive ministry is, instead of modeling servant-hood (which is quite counterproductive when I'm trying to grow my boys into men who love God and see people as He does). Truth be told, the times I've struggled with a bad attitude it's been more about laziness and my own comfort than any actual infringement into my family's life. With a little creativity and sense of adventure, new traditions forged around service can be MORE meaningful and draw us closer to each other.

Here's how Jerolyn Bogear (a friend of mine) and her family celebrate Christmas.

"Christmas Eve dinner has always been a tough one for our family to work out. Every church we’ve been in has had a Christmas Eve service with, of course, the pastoral families in charge. After setting up in the late afternoon and tearing down after the service, how do you have a special supper? We solved that problem completely by accident a few years ago. Here’s the story. We came home from the Christmas Eve service to find a stack of four pretty boxes in graduated sizes, tied with ribbon sitting on our front porch. While we were at church serving others, one of my mother’s Christmas gifts--edible goodies—had arrived. There were sausages, cheeses, crackers, cookies and petit fours – a complete feast. We ripped into the boxes and started chowing down. I’m usually a stickler about table manners, but that night was a free-for-all.
And so the tradition continues. We’ve modified it a bit over the years, adding peel and eat shrimp, a crock-pot of BBQ mini sausages, and cheese squeezed from a can. We also watch a Christmas movie while we pig out. One thing hasn’t changed; the annual manner-less, plate-less munch fest tradition lives on. We learned a valuable lesson that Christmas Eve a few years ago. We can serve others and have holiday family fun at the same time."

Your turn--Does any one else have any great ideas or stories to share?