Our Simple Christmas

I don't know about you, but Christmas has always been about presents. We 'say' that Jesus is the reason for the season, and we give a weak connection between the presents and Jesus being the ultimate present....or the Maji and their presents being the tradition of gift giving. But we literally spend ourselves into a hole at Christmas. We totally consume everything out there, and build debt that it takes several months to dig out of.
NOT US....NOT THIS CHRISTMAS.
And not because we are cheap, and not because we don't love people, but because we believe, that's not what God intended. This Christmas, we decided, that we would have a 'simple christmas'. Simple in the way we celebrate, simple in the way spend, simple in how we show what is important to us.
First of all, we followed a great guideline for presents for our kids, and ourselves. Each of us got 4 presents. Something we want, something we need, something we wear and something to read. The something we wear for the kids... became a few somethings... but by and large we help pretty well to this. What we found is that we could (and our kids could) grasp this.... and it freed us up to give to others like we have never given before.
We went in with several other families and we were able to financially bless, give gifts and food to 3 families and an orphanage....the families we gave to, were not going to have gifts at all....nor were they going to have a meal. There are organizations out there...that make these connections....or you can just keep your eyes and ears open. One of the families, was a family at the school one of our friends works at.
Another thing we did was give our time to 'a cause' that we believe in and have come to love, helping the Homeless. Christmas Eve, we intentionally left of late afternoon and evening open. As a family, we made sandwiches about 40-50 and delivered bags with a sandwich, chips a piece of fudge and a water....to guys and girls around town on Christmas Eve.
The highlight of my Christmas may be that as we delivering the sandwiches, we were pulling up to a parking lot, near where we serve burgers about once a month. And I hear my name being yelled....by one of the guys we have been ministering to. I get out, he greets me again...shakes my hand and ask me "how you doing, Tray?"
Christmas morning we decided to get away from it all being about us and presents and get up early, joining Mobile Loaves and Fishes and making a truck run. This consisted of cleaning and making ready (loading with food) the trucks...then going out with them and interacting with those we were ministering to. I got to spend some time with a new friend Robert, who is from New Orleans and is homeless. He works when he can get it, but by his own admission, he has problems with girls, money, and alcohol. He is a professing believer, saved by grace, same as me. He loves his family, and respects his uncle. He has several children and borrowed Benton's cell phone to call one of them to wish them a Merry Christmas.
I told him we were going to Alabama for New Years and he said.....you should stop and see my uncle...and pray for him. He has cancer and Robert hopes his Uncle finds peace before dying. He said he is a Christian...but he is still mad about things. Mad about cancer......which I understand. I get his phone number from Robert and I plan to stop by. This was a simple request, from a simple man, who simply wanted to bless his uncle.