Rethinking Christmas

I didn't mean for this to happen...it really was an accident. It started in August or September...Nathan and I began to talk about how we could make our bill payments during the period when I'm on maternity leave and he's still working here at his much lower-paying job. We're confident we can survive on one income when he goes full-time Army, but until then there will be about an 8-week period where I'm not working and he's not full-time. Money is going to be an issue. It immediately occurred to me that the amount we spend on Christmas each year could put a dent in the money we'd need during this period. With reservations, we told our families that this year, with the exception of a few small gifts for Manning, we would not be making any Christmas gift purchases. With our current financial situation, blowing a bunch of money on Christmas presents would be financially irresponsible. Nathan and I were both really okay with it, and our families responded well. I didn't really think much of it...

then I saw this video. Gina posted it on her blog. And I felt ill. I knew immediately that things were going to change. 

Please take a minute to watch:

Then, I read this post by Sarah yesterday. It was like she read my heart, and much more eloquently than I could, put in into words. 

What does this mean for the BeVelle family? Honestly, I don't know. How this will play out for our family is to be determined, but I have confidence that Nathan and I are going to come up with a solution that we both feel very comfortable with. 

These are the few things I do know:

- I can't pretend to be okay with this any more.

- Honestly, for our family, Christmas is just the tip of the iceberg. Nathan and I have dreams of adopting a house-full of children to love. We dream of living more simply and donating any money we don't need. We dream of living a debt-free life within our means, and being satisfied with what we have, focusing not on what we do not have. 

- It's in God's hands. He holds our future, and we need to not worry about our future, or present for that matter. 

I want to end this blog with an apology and a disclaimer saying that I know this isn't feasible for every family, and that whatever you choose for your family is best and blah blah blah, but honestly I don't feel that way. I think this is something that should weigh heavily on the heart of every Christian, and I think that we need to quit pointing fingers or making half-attempts at giving and give until it hurts. I think we need to live radically. I'm a work-in-progress where all of these are concerned, and I pray that you'll consider it as well.