PRICELESS

50” Plasma TV… $600.00. Vera Bradley handbag… $75.00. Barbie Doll House… $50.00. Spending time with your family making memories… PRICELESS!

Over the holidays, I spent a lot of time making memories with my family. One of my favorites was one of our family traditions. Before my boys were born, Al and I decided we wanted to make Christmas more about Jesus and less about the gifts. We wanted to find some creative way to make Christmas “special” for our family. We found the perfect book one year and decided to set it back for when we had kids.

The book tells the story of Jesus life from the perspective of his niece. It is called Mary’s Treasure Box by Carolyn Walz Kramlich. It tells of a little girl asking her grandma Mary to open up her treasure box to look at all of the things she saved back to remember Jesus. We have made a treasure box of sorts of our own to share with the boys as we read it each year. It contains a piece of straw to remember the stable, wool to remind us of the shepherds who came to visit, a wooden flute, a piece of cloth, and the gifts of the magi. Holding the elements in our hands somehow makes the story more realistic.

The boys got more excited this year than any other about reading the Christmas story. They wanted to hold each item from our treasure box in their hands to imagine what it must have been like the day Jesus was born. It was PRICELESS. I loved seeing their eyes light up. What made it even better was the fact that they knew and understood the magnitude of the treasure that could be found in Jesus.

I read something recently that speaks about Jesus life so perfectly…

The greatest man in history named Jesus, had no servants, yet they called him Master. Had no degree, yet they called him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

Wow… Jesus is PRICELESS. Be sure this holiday season and for years to come that you take the time to share the true reason for the season with your family.

Here is a link to a site that has some ideas of how you can make it special for your family. http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art7018.asp.

Instead of taking all of your time to shop for the perfect gift that will be forgotten, broken, or lost weeks later, next Christmas choose to place your priority on what is really important. Choose to make the holiday special by remembering Jesus through telling the Christmas story, reading a special book about Jesus birth, or having a special birthday cake for Jesus to celebrate the occasion. The kids will love it and you will be making memories that last a lifetime. Give the gift that never goes away… start a tradition this year that you can pass down from generations to come. Jesus is a priceless treasure. Don’t keep Him to yourself… give Him away.

Living to leave a legacy,
Julie