Christian couple Gil and Kelly Jo Bates of "Bringing Up Bates" have 19 children together, so every time the Christmas season rolls about, they have a full house filled with lots of love, laughter and celebration.
On the flip side, it can get quite difficult bringing the whole family together. Kelly Jo told the Gospel Herald that they always pick a day that's close to the holiday to have a family party before travelling to their grandparents' places to spend Christmas eve.
"Since the entire family meets for Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day, I try to be very flexible on Christmas, by choosing a different day to celebrate so that couples can visit their in-laws," she explained. "This means our family Christmas gathering has diminished in size, but not in heart."
Kelly Jo added that they have several well-treasured traditions during Christmas, which their remaining 15 kids love doing. "We watch old Christmas movies together, listen to Christmas music, decorate together, shop, make gingerbread houses, enjoy hot chocolate, drive to look at lights, share the Christmas story, and of course, there's the big party with lots of food, presents, and fun!" she shared.
Christmas is supposed to be a fun holiday, but if people aren't careful, they can get carried away by the busy schedules and shopping frenzies. Without noticing it, anxiety and stress cause people to nitpick on one another and wreak havoc on relationships.
As hard as it might be to do so, Kelly Jo strongly recommends taking things slowly and remember what Christmas is all about - the birth of Jesus Christ. As a family, they try to do things that emphasise their need on giving to Christ, such as donating to a Bible-printing ministry or visiting nursing homes and hospitals. Sometimes, they go caroling and distribute gifts to the needy.
"It is extremely important for us to keep Christ as the focus of the holiday, so it's something the family hears and is talking about regularly. They hear sermons, family devotions, and Christmas hymns that all point to this," she said. "We tried to put messages on the wall in our decorations that would remind us to focus on Christ."
