Do Less, Spend More !

I have been trying to mentally revamp the holidays or at least I am attempting to. This is the time of  year that I want to spend with my family and friends, I really don't want to spend it shopping all over town for the "perfect gift". I think the perfect gift is "time".....time reliving memories of the past (good and bad) and making new memories for the future.

My side of family has a yearly Christmas party and sometimes this is one of only a few times we get together each year. I wish it were more, but we all have separates lives and life sometimes moves so fast, you hardly have time to blink. Such is life I suppose. Anyway, I am looking forward to our yearly party. It's amazing how fast the children grow and how "gray" the adults are getting Ha, Ha!  But, we will get to spend time together, even if for only a few hours.

The last couple of years I started a few new traditions with my granddaughter....building gingerbread houses and baking cookies to name a few.  This time together is precious.

So with all this said..........I am trying to revamp how  in five different ways. Again...... I am trying by, "Doing Less and Spending More".

• Do Less - buying of nonsense gifts that are never used or gets placed in some corner never to be seen again.
• Spend More - Time in my basement going through my gently worn clothing to give to the Salvation Army.
• Do Less - Eating of processed foods. Just sticking with homemade and home grown foods.
• Spend More - Time reading the labels on my grocery labels . I need to get back to this habit.
• Do Less - Time shopping at the mall or Wal-Mart.
• Spend More - Time walking around my neighborhood. The houses near me look like miniature Christmas Villages. Plus, the cool air feels great and it's good exercise.
• Do Less - Complaining about I feel. Knees, Weight, Menopause Symptoms and such.
• Spend More - Time in prayer. It definitely lightens the load.
• Do Less - Cooking ....... I mean do we really need a five course meal during the holidays
• Spend More -  Time on a families and those in need. A couple of years ago we sponsored a family through the Salvation Army. I want to look into this again.   

One more thing.....I need to remember, to keep Christ in Christmas. It really is about his birth.

Matthew 25:35-40 indicates how you can honor Christ on the day that represents His birthday.

Jesus: “For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me water; I was a stranger and you invited me into your homes; naked and you clothed me; sick and in prison, and you visited me.”

The Righteous: “Sir, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you anything to drink? Or a stranger, and help you? Or naked, and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?”

Jesus: “When you did it unto the least of these my brothers you were doing it unto me.”