Live a Life of Celebration

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Who doesn’t like a celebration? Life can be hard sometimes and if you’ve experienced this then you know that every day is a gift, a joy... “His mercies are new every morning.” And we should celebrate this gift of life. Celebration is a choice. I’m not a morning person, but I’ve learned no matter what, I’m going to wake up. I have a choice to make it a good morning or grumpy one.

To celebrate means to mark a special day, event, or holiday. You might celebrate a birthday, a religious holiday, or something that occurred in your life that has significant meaning. In light of that, I think it’s important to simply celebrate more often. I find that choosing simple celebrations has brought so much more enjoyment to my life like:

Taking the focus off of me and placing it on others
Bringing fun into my life and my family’s life
It takes an ordinary day and makes it special
Drives creativity
Provides opportunities for family togetherness

In this season, we could all use a little fun, togetherness, creativity and joy. It doesn’t need to take a lot of work either, and you don’t have to do mega big things that take the life out of you (like the Holidays). Simple celebrations add just a touch of sparkle to an ordinary day.

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. "John 15:11

Here are some fun ideas:

Ground hogs day~ We make a chocolate cake and watch the groundhog celebration on-line.
Super bowl Sunday~ We are not football fans, nor do we have the ability to watch it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate. We call it “gumbo and games”. I put on a large pot of some kind of seafood chowder and we play games as a family.
Fasnacht day~ We eat donuts of course.
Valentine’s Day~ I give each of my kids a small box of chocolates and write them a love note.
St. Patrick's Day~ We make a leprechaun trap and eat a fun Irish style dinner. I also put green food coloring in the milk.
Gift giving to neighbors~ We will bake up cookies or put together a small goody basket for our neighbors and I let my children deliver them. What a special way to celebrate neighbors.
Make dinner a special occasion every once in a while. Light candles and eat off of nice dishes. You don’t even have to cook something special. Take turns telling each family member what you like about them.
Friday Family Fun Night~ At our home, every Friday night is a family fun night. We make pizza and watch a movie while we eat in front of the TV. My children love this night and we look forward to it each week.
Spring picnics~ When the weather starts warming up, my children and I will eat lunch on a blanket outside. It’s a little taste of summer coming.
Snow days~ We make snow cream and have fun building snowmen. And don’t forget hot chocolate.
Lollipop hunting~ This is a tradition from my childhood. When the leaves start to turn colors in the fall we go into the woods for a picnic and go on a lollipop hunt (we hide tootsie pops in the trees).
Christmas Adam~ It’s the night before Christmas Eve. We play games, drink hot cocoa, open a gift, make cookies and watch Christmas movies.

The goal is to make these celebrations simple and fun. It’s not about wearing mommy and daddy out and adding more to our already crazy schedules. Most likely you’re going to do some of these things anyway... just add a bit of sparkle.

God created us to live a full and abundant life. Let’s chase the fun, chase the joy and add a little spark to your life and those around you.

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10