Sacred Holidays by Becky Kiser Happy Thanksgiving week! This will be Elaina's first Thanksgiving...I can hardly believe it! How is she already almost 4 months old?! It has been a blast introducing her to the changing of the seasons (she saw snow for the first time last week and her mind was blown). Experiencing seasons is one of the best parts of living in the Midwest, and I hope she comes to love it as much as I do. And actually, this is one of my favorite weeks of the year! It feels like the seasons blend together in these magical few days where pumpkin spice lattes, slow roasted turkeys, and festive Christmas decorations all collide. The weather is chilly but not frigid (yet), and Christmas is just around the corner! Jake and I have always loved family traditions and now, as a family of three, we are more excited than ever to explore meaningful and magical ways to celebrate the season! We hope our kids grow up looking forward to holidays and cherishing the memories of sweet traditions we partake in as a family. Thinking of new traditions and ways to celebrate the holidays can be overwhelming...even with the help of Pinterest! I desire so badly to center the holidays around Christ, but often let the busyness and chaos of the season draw my eyes away from Him and towards the shiny gifts, glittering parties, and delicious pie. Then December 26th comes and I realize I spent more time making and fulfilling wishlists than meditating on God's Word or preparing my heart for Christmas day. I want things to be different! I want to center every aspect of my life around Jesus...including the crazy holidays and changing seasons. Reading Sacred Holidays by Becky Kiser has been incredibly encouraging. I'll get to the book content in a second, but first can I love on the author just a bit? Becky has a reverence for the authority of Scripture and knowledge of God's Word that I believe is rarely seen in today's "Christian Living" books. I was grinning from ear to ear as I read her chapter about common struggles we experience during the holidays: "I won't provide much commentary on these areas because I believe His Word more than speaks for itself..." She then proceeds to give EIGHT PAGES of Bible verses that point us to Christ during: times of conflict with others, bitterness and anger, unforgiveness, stress and being overwhelmed, and loneliness! She ends the chapter by writing: "So let's live out James 1:22, 'But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.' Let's go to His Word in the midst of our conflict and drama and do what it says!" Can I get an Amen. I am so thankful for her boldness in trusting God's Word and acknowledging that it is powerful, living, and active! Okay, okay, now on to the content... Sacred Holidays offers practical ideas and Biblical wisdom into celebrating holidays while keeping Christ at the center. Each holiday chapter includes insight into the origins of the holiday, how to make the day meaningful and set apart from the rest of the year, and journaling space to write out your vision, hopes, dreams, and plans for making the holiday special. She offers all of this (along with practical holiday tradition ideas) for New Year's, Valentine's Day, Easter, Summer, Birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! I love that Becky doesn't shy away from tackling topics that could be controversial in Christian culture when it comes to celebrating holidays. She gives great insight for approaching Santa, Halloween, and other holiday-related topics that, as Christians, we often don't quite know what to do with. I especially loved her thoughts on Halloween: "This is why I love Halloween and love for Christians to open their doors on this day: it is the one day of the year your neighbors knock on your door! Let's be there to open it!" She then goes on to share how Halloween can be a great opportunity to meet your neighbors, shine brightly for the name of Jesus, and draw others to Him as we love and build relationships within our neighborhoods. My rating? 5/5 This book has so many great ideas for holiday traditions and celebrating holidays as a Christian! I love how well Becky includes ideas that keep us Christ centered while also enjoying the "whimsy" of the season! I plan on reading back through these chapters as each holiday approaches, and am excited to see how God uses it to draw us nearer to Him as we celebrate and create new family traditions!
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