7th Day of Christmas with Aimee Powell {wife of Third Day’s Mac Powell}

chaos.calmFrom unrealistic expectations to traditions to your screaming schedule as well as those annual holiday encounters with the in-laws and outlaws, this free 5 Day challenge will allow your holidays to go from chaos to calm. Click HERE for the free 5 Day Challenge and they will automatically come to your inbox. Merry Christmas!

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Remember you may comment to win on all of the 12 Days of Christmas posts until Sunday night, December 15th at midnight EST so be sure to read through those you missed and catch up!

Welcome to the 7th Day of Christmas guests and giveaways! Today we’re featuring a new friend of mine. I met her when she and her husband read a blog post I wrote that they liked so much they shared it on air in a radio interview and emailed me to tell me so. It touched my heart so much! And it about made my jaw drop when I found out who she was. Her name is Aimee Powell.

photo-20Aimee is the wife of Mac, lead singer of Christian rock band, Third Day. They have been married and making Christmas memories for over 17 years. Together they are raising 5 wonderful children, Scout (14), Cash (11), Camie Love (10), Emmanuel (4), and Birdie Clare (3). She’s stopped by to tell us what Chrsitmas is like around their place.

So now, here’s Aimee….

I am a traditionalist at heart, so I love all the nostalgic fun of Christmastime. I’m sure we share lots of the same traditions. I love setting out our nativity scenes, listening to Christmas music, having the house decorated, being with family and friends.

Every year on our way home from Thanksgiving in Alabama, our children watch The Polar Express on the TV in our 9 passenger conversion van. Mac and I get emotional listening from the front seat.

IMG_3417I get excited watching our children open “just one gift” on Christmas Eve while donned in their new jammies.

But just a few short hours before the children go to bed on Christmas Eve, we have a huge celebration at our house. My mother’s side of the family (it’ll be 36 of us this year) pile into the kitchen to hug and kiss, laugh and eat lots of yummy food.

get-attachment-10.aspxOnce everyone is finished eating, we crowd into the living room to listen to my 88 year old grandfather, Big Papa, read from the Bible, the story of Jesus’ birth.  When he is finished reverently reading Luke 2, we continue our worship by singing “Silent Night” and “Away in a Manger”.  Of all our traditions, this is my FAVORITE!

Merry Christmas.

get-attachment-12.aspxLuke 2

New International Version (NIV)

The Birth of Jesus

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14  “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

TODAY’S GIVEAWAY:

Mac and Aimee are giving two of you who comment a package of select Third Day CD’s. Simply tell us what you do with extended family at Christmastime. If you don’t get together with them then tell us what you do on Christmas Eve.

I’ll go first. We get together with my extended family at my mom’s a Christmas Day in the afternoon to exchange gifts and eat my mom’s turkey and dressing, my brother’s barbecue meatballs and my sister-in-law’s famous fudge.

And you?

233 Comments

  1. We get together with extended family for a meal and gift-giving about a week prior to Christmas so we can all spend Christmas Day with our immediate families, allowing time for relaxation instead of making it a huge travel day on the 25th.

  2. We usually have one gift we open on Christmas Eve as well. It used to be jammies, but now it is usually just something small since our kids are older. We love to get together, for appetizers, cookies, pies etc. with the extended family sometime during the season. It’s such a blessing to have all of us together.

  3. We usually don’t see extended family because they live so far away. However, my husband and I have a wonderful time on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with our immediate family. Christmas Eve consists of two worship services (during which our kids’ youth choirs sing), followed by coming home and letting each of the kids open one small gift. We do a simple meal on Christmas Eve and save the big meal for the next day…That way, our Christmas Eve is more focused on worship rather than the chaos of food preparations. We attend church on Christmas morning and come home to let the kids open the rest of their gifts. We usually eat our meal in the mid-afternoon.

  4. We celebrate with the extended family sometime during the holiday time. As for my immediate family we celebrate Christmas Eve by going to church and out to eat at a local Chinese restaurant

  5. We get together with my Dad’s side of the family the Saturday before Christmas – this year at my house! We eat and visit and the kids high school and younger exchange gifts. For my mom’s side we gather on Christmas Day – this year also at my house but only about 8 of us. At both of these celebrations we go away from traditional eats. Chili and Taco Soup this year.

  6. All 70+ members of my extended family cram into my Grandmas 2 bedroom house for a meal and white elephant exchange. Wouldn’t be Christmas without the tradition!

  7. we do Christmas Eve Breakfast and afternoon snacks with my in laws, then dinner together with our own family before church, snacks after church with my mom, then Christmas dinner with my extended family, lots of eating and fellowship, doing a white elephant game this year, should be fun

  8. We spend Christmas Eve at my moms house with my brother, sister-in-law, neices and nephews eating lasagna, garlic bread and salad. Dinner is followed by gifts and visiting and catching up with everyone. Some of our kids are grown or away at college and now grand babies are arriving so it is a great family reunion.

  9. Christmas Eve is spent with mom and dad at their house. We play games, eat food and laugh a lot. Christmas day, I have family here! I love having my family home!

  10. We used to get together with my moms family and draw names to get gifts. We also sometimes get together with my husbands family for a gift card exchange game. Now we mostly celebrate with immediate families (our parents and sibling/families).

  11. We go to my parents on Christmas Eve and for Christmas brunch, My husbands’ family comes to our house Christmas night for dinner.

  12. Because our family all live in different cities and states we go to the Christmas Eve service as a family and then have dinner with friends who are like family. We have done this since our two oldest children were 1 – 9 years now. Every Christmas Eve we have a scavenger hunt with the kids and then read the birth of baby Jesus from the Bible.

  13. We live an ocean away from extended family, so usually on Christmas Eve we get together with dear friends who are also far away from their extended family. Singing, games and food usually are involved!

  14. We celebrate my dad’s birthday on the 24th. I make a delectable chocolate birthday cake and we do birthday first, then Christmas after that!

  15. we live to far away from family – but every Christmas eve we enjoy a candlelight service at church, and then come home to unwrap one present before bed.

  16. Christmas Eve is spent with my husbands family eating playing games opening presents and making new memories. Christmas Day we open presents with our children and then either spend time with my family or sometimes see a good family movie with our kids!

  17. Before my mom passed away, we always spent Christmas Eve at her house. Then we would go to my grandmother’s on Christmas Day. Now we are working on new traditions since we have lost many parents & grandparents in recent years.

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