To the Momma Who Can't Afford Christmas This Year - A Bountiful Love

To the Momma Who Can't Afford Christmas This Year

UPDATE: Here's an oldie but goodie! This post had been a great blessing to not just mommies but as well as dads as well. This post was written in 2015. Please continue to share so we can inspire more families.


  It is that season again. Christmas music playing in every store. The cold weather and the smell of firewood smoke lingered in the air.  Well-decorated and lighted houses. Gift suggestions and gift packages on every corner of every store. Every year, you promised yourself that you will be ready for the next Christmas season. That you will save enough money so you can give your children, and your family the Christmas they truly deserve. Then life happens. While you are saving .. your car breaks down. Maybe you or your spouse were unexpectedly unemployed. Your insurance won't pay for your medical bills, your water heater needs replacement. Your funds are dwindling, yet again..You can't afford Christmas.



     You want to teach your children what Christmas is all about. But deep..deep inside you wish you could at least buy them the toy that they always ask for. It hurts because you can't.
 
You want to bake all the Christmas goodies you see on Pinterest. You can't because you really can not afford those ingredients. You have bills to pay.  You wish you can buy your family some new outfits, nothing fancy, but some decent clothes to wear on Christmas eve. You can only afford clothes from the second-hand store.  No matter how hard you try, you get embarrassed that you can't afford Christmas. There are times you go so hard on yourself. Times when you distance yourself from friends and family because you worry about what they may think of you.

     Here's what you need to know momma, In the eyes of the Lord..you are rich. You are not a failure.
You are blessed. You have something that few people understand. You have a family and you have everything.   We all see it everywhere, Jesus is the Reason for the Season. That is the truth. It is not about material gifts or baked goodies. Christmas is about love.


     Our Jesus was not born in a castle, He was born in a manger.  He was born in the most humble way. He was born because of God's great love. Christmas has become commercialized. Social media plays a great role in this.  We see it, how our news feed is filled with " hey look how beautiful and gorgeous my Christmas tree is ", "hey look how many gifts we have under the tree". " hey, we are this fancy on Christmas". Don't be fooled by this. In reality, we do not know the real story is behind those pictures. Don't beat yourself up just because you can not afford Christmas.


Christmas is about...

 Being together as a family. It is about putting the phone down and being present.  Christmas is about spending quality time.  It is about looking into our children's eyes and being intentionally present.

Christmas is about reading scriptures to our family, little children need to know the story of Jesus. How God's great love for us came down at Christmas time.


Christmas is about reaching out to the poor, hurting, and broken. Maybe you are wondering, how can you help when you can't even afford your own Christmas. How can you reach out and offer a hand if you are also hurting? There are ways of giving a lending hand and heart. You and your family can volunteer in a soup kitchen, visit a hospice and spend some time with our elderly who may have been neglected by their own families, volunteer to give out gifts or blankets for homeless people.

To rid yourself of negative emotional states, you need to push them aside with positive emotional states and the simplest way to do that is to just go out and lend a helping hand to somebody.” ---Stephen G. Post

Christmas is about slowing down, tuning in, and plugging in. Plugging-in to your spouse, your kids, your parents, friends, and relatives.  Christmas is unplugging from negativity and comparison. 
Christmas is about simple happiness. Grab a travel mug filled with delicious hot cocoa, drive around the neighborhood, and enjoy the Christmas decorations. Trust me, your kids will squeal in delight. Simple moments like this can turn into great memories someday.  Sometimes the smallest things can give us great joy.

Christmas is about celebrating God's grace.  Christmas is about giving yourself grace. 
    There is so much more about Christmas than material things. Whatever situation you may be in right now, it will pass. Our Lord is always..always for you. 




Don't forget to pin and share!!




NEXT READ:




http://www.abountifullove.com/2015/11/10-proven-ways-to-be-happy.html


http://www.abountifullove.com/2015/12/15-charities-that-help-and-support.html







17 comments

  1. What a beautiful encouraging post. You know the true meaning of Christmas. Stopping by from #mommymeetupmondays.

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    1. Hi there Shelah! I'm glad that you stopped by..thank you!

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  2. Amen - what a beautiful post!! We were blessed with our youth group at church holding a toy giveaway yesterday for needy families in the area. So great to see the young ones already helping those that need it.

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    1. Hi Jamie! I couldn't agree more..it is really great to see young generation stepping up to help those who are in need. What a great church! Thank you for visiting :)

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  3. So beautiful. Let's all look at Jesus and the Hope that was born that night! We can push the pressures aside, the expectations, the memory making - and know that He is our hope. And that He will fill our gaps.
    Blessings and smiles,
    Lori

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    1. Hi Lori. Very , very true. Christmas nowadays is overwhelming and budget crushing. We really need to "re-learn" what Christmas is all about.

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  4. Wonderful post! I have been that mom, and you nailed it on the head. It does bring a huge sense of shame and guilt. However, some of our best memories are from the hardest of times. If you focus on the true meaning of the season, all the other stuff doesn't matter as much :-)

    Thank you for sharing with us at #MommyMeetupMondays!

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    1. Hello Brandyn! Oh yes, the simple, truthful and humble times are always the best times. Thank you for stopping by!

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  5. What a beautiful post. Of course, the flip side of this is those of us who can "afford Christmas" need to be on constant watch for those who can't and bless them. We need to get our children involved, too. I remember when we were first married. Had we had children then we certainly couldn't have afforded fancy gifts. Blessings to those who need encouragement this year.

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    1. Hi there! Thank you for stopping by. Yes, I really wish all of us who can afford to bless someone, can step up. And those who can't can even bless someone with prayers.

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  6. Beautiful! Thank you. We are having a rough year this year, we move just a few weeks after the holidays. Thank you for sharing your feelings.

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    1. This too shall pass! Thank you for stopping by and Merry Christmas! hugs!

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  7. I've been in this very situation a couple of times since having my children and this exact message has what got me through. Thanks so much for sharing. I'm featuring this at tomorrow's Christmas Round Up post. Thanks for joining in at Thriving on Thursdays.

    Anne xx

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    1. Ditto! Thank you so much Anne! What a happy Monday indeed, I can't wait to stop by..I really do appreciate it.

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  8. As that momma, just reading this post helped tremendously. I think we will spend Christmas at our local shelter and show some kindness to someone else that needs it!! Thank you!

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  9. My husband just lost his job. You have no idea how much I needed this right now! Thank you so much and God bless you and yours!

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  10. A very beautiful and touching post. It really is so important, throughout the entire year, to remember that what our loved ones and children need most is our love and support and encouragement. Everything else, whether gifts or nicer clothing or more this or that toy/product/media/whatever, is really nothing compared to our being there for them in life. We should always remember that what's most valuable is our connection to others who care for us. The gift of love is priceless.

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Thank you for stopping by and know that all of your comments are appreciated !