Have you ever talked to your grandmother about the way she celebrated Christmas when she was younger? I hope you have the opportunity to find out what her life was like many years ago. If you have no one to ask, you can listen to my mother for a few minutes while she tells about her childhood Christmas memories.

Mother celebrated her 90^th birthday this year. She was born in Oklahoma and lived there on a farm until she was in her teens. They lived in a large farmhouse with no indoor plumping and no electricity. They bought a Christmas tree, put it up, and decorated it with popcorn and cranberries that they strung on strings. The stockings they hung on the mantle were the ones they also wore to school.

Did you notice that the activities revolved around school and home? With no electricity, they had no sparkly lights inside or out, no holiday shows on TV, no cheery music on the radio - no radio or TV! In school, they had a Christmas program about Jesus. They drew pictures, sang songs, and acted out the birth of Jesus.

My mother thought that Santa left the few small things in her stocking, but no great attention was given to it. She knew that Santa was not the reason for Christmas.

My grandparents celebrated the birth of Christ in their home at Christmas time. My grandmother played their pump organ as they spent evenings singing about the birth of Jesus. They read the account of His birth in Luke and they talked about what it meant. My mother celebrated the birth of Jesus everywhere - home, school, or church - the focus was on Him.

Today Christmas has been flipped upside down. Instead of a focus on Jesus, everyone spends little time thinking about His birth and much time doing everything else. Even most churches have their Christmas programs early in December because few people would participate or attend on Christmas Eve.

Today, if my mother wants to celebrate Christmas as a holy time focused on the birth of Jesus, she must make a deliberate choice to do it. The same thing is true for all of us. Here are some ideas for making "Jesus the Reason for the Season:"

• Instead of watching holiday shows, read a book about how Christians worship in other countries.
• Instead of playing the latest "holiday" songs, sing music that praises Jesus.
• Instead of focusing on the Christmas tree, make a Nativity set the centerpiece of your Christmas decorations.
• Instead of going to a lot of parties, work on the church Christmas program.
• Instead of asking for expensive gifts, adopt a family who needs help.
• Instead of spending time at the mall, visit an older adult and ask them to share their memories.
• Instead of reading about Jesus' birth in Luke, read the Old Testament prophecies about Him.
• Instead of saying "Happy Holidays," bless everybody with Merry Christmas!

Lynnda Ell has been an active Christian for over 50 years She has three adult daughters and five grandchildren. She has had careers in accounting, direct sales, electrical engineering and writing. She lives and worships in New Orleans, LA. Check out Lynnda's blog.