As a Mormon the focus of our Christmas (and yes we do celebrate it) is Jesus Christ and his birth. We love to buy gifts, give gifts, receive gifts and eat lots of food like everyone else. We attend nativities, carol concerts and we enjoy oodles of chocolate whilst watching many a Christmas movie. We decorate our home with baubles, lights, bunting and a tree, and talk often about Santa! Its no different to anyone else except that we don’t drink wine (mulled or otherwise) and alcohol in general (makes for a cheap day), and we also try very hard to remember the birth of Christ, remember the reason for the season and try to do things that will focus our December on what its really all about.
I am content now with how we chose to do gifts for our kids and so every year on the run up to Christmas I am always so determined to get my shopping done by the beginning of December, so that the rest of the month can be spent doing Christmas activities and random acts of kindness. I usually know what I want to get people, so then the shopping side hopefully doesn’t take long, so that then the idea is that I can spend the remainder of my “free time” trawling Pinterest looking for things we can do as family to not only feel the spirit of Christmas, but to bring it to others also in some kind of advent calendar throughout the month!
This week I was overjoyed to see a new video released by my church called #LightTheWorld – an invitation for all people everywgere to be a light to others this December by serving people in our families and wider communities. It is an opportunity to not just learn of Jesus’ birth this Christmas, but learn who he was by following him and doing good.
I love it because it is everything I love to do at Christmas, but it is also an opportunity to join together from all faiths, backgrounds and life to do good during December!
It begins on the 1st with a world service day, and then you can follow the invitation to do 25 things over the 25 days… using the hashtag lightTheWorld to share how you are lighting peoples lives around you and connect with others worldwide doing the same. It could be everything they suggest in the link above, or things as simple as making time to read to your child instead of making excuses. Baking for a friend, calling instead of a text, or it could be bigger like helping the homeless or refugees. You may want to donate to charity, buy someone a meal, drop an anonymous love note through someones door… its just about remembering that this Christmas we can give the gift of us to light up the world with kindness and joy.
I recognise not all believe what I do or even in the same way, and that is totally fine. This isn’t a post to push my beliefs or debate religion. Rather it is sharing something we have always felt to do in December but this time on a wider scale. It is sharing something I absolutely love and think is a great idea for December; to come together and for 25 days create more love and kindness in the world… make it a brighter place and together remember that we can make a little difference somewhere and light it up for someone. For our family personally it is motivated by a desire to feel closer to our Lord, to Follow his example and to think more on that aspect of Christmas, but for you it might simply be because you want to give more than you get, and you want to spread Joy!
This to me is what Christmas is; looking around and giving to those who need more that day than we do and helping them feel loved. Its lifting them up and brightening their lives – all be it for a moment. I am excited to not just do it within our family, but with like minded people throughout the world… I really hope together we can #LightTheWorld this December!
This is not a sponsored post it is just something I am passionate about!
What a lovely post 🙂 I too look forward to this aspect of Christmas. Each year we have a huge clear out for our local homeless refuge and do a big supermarket shop for them too. This year we’re also going to do the reverse advent where we fill a box gradually on the run up to Christmas of other special little items although I’m going to try to do it all for free 😉 Really need to get on with writing a blog post on my reverse advent!