One of our creative exercises was to create a pattern collection around the new Pantone color of the year, Tangerine Tango. Here is what will probably be the main pattern for my collection. I view this collection as possibly being used for gift wrapping paper or gift bags.

And here is one of the coordinating patterns:

If you couldn’t tell, my inspiration was eyelet fabric and lace trim. My mom is a fantastic seamstress and used to make all of my clothes (as well as my two sisters’) when I was a little girl. I loved going to the fabric store with her to pick out fabrics for new projects. I remember a cute summer dress she made me out of white eyelet fabric that I just loved. 

I am having so much fun designing patterns and will try to post more here as I find time.

Joyfully,

This first idea may seem obvious to some, but I’m going to say it anyway:

Spread the JOY of Christ this Christmas by
sending out Christmas cards that have a CHRISTmas message!

Be very selective in the Christmas card design that you choose, skipping the ones that say “Happy Holidays” for ones that say, “Merry Christmas,” “Joy to the World,” “Happy Birthday Jesus,” or other sentiments that let the receiver know that the reason you celebrate this joyous season is to celebrate the birth of JESUS!

If you have been frustrated over a lack of Christmas photo cards with modern and fun designs that also included an expression of Christian faith, well I have good news for you. A couple of years ago, the women of The Little Card Company were also frustrated with the lack of photo greeting cards with a genuine faith-based Christmas message, so they started their own company to fill that need. 

Here are a few of the Christian Christmas Photo Cards available at LittleCardCompany.com:

*Disclosure: Some of the Christian Christmas Photo Cards shown above  were designed by me and I will receive royalties on any purchases you make.

Also, before you mail your Christian Christmas Photo Cards, pray over them and ask God to bless the recipients in a special way and fill their hearts with HIS joy and peace.

I’d love to hear your ideas and see your photos. Let me know how you are spreading the JOY of Christ this Christmas by commenting below or by posting Joyful Heart Design’s facebook wall. You can also visit the Spreading the Joy of Christ this Christmas facebook page to share your ideas, photos and links, and to get more ideas.

Let’s start with ways to 
spread the JOY of Christ this Christmas 
through your verbal communications.

1.  Face-to-Face: Be sure to wish everyone a “Merry Christmas,” instead of “Happy Holidays!” But let’s take it a step further. In your everyday conversations, as you are out running errands, at work, participating in a hobby or sporting event, doing some Christmas shopping or attending a holiday event, look for ways to share YOUR reasons for celebrating Christmas. Sometimes the best way to do this is to ask others why they celebrate Christmas, or what their favorite thing about Christmas is. After they answer, they will usually ask you the same question. ***  “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” - Colossians 4:6
2. VoiceMail: don’t miss out on the opportunity to spread the JOY of Jesus by crafting a heart-felt, joyful voicemail greeting that people hear before they can leave you a voicemail message. I began recording joyful, God-honoring greetings years ago when we had an answering machine at home, even before mobile phones and voicemail. And I change up my voicemail greeting every month or so, because I get lots of comments on my greetings—comments like, “Your joyful greeting made my day!” or “Love your joyful attitude!” Here is a sample voicemail greeting: “Merry Christmas! You’ve reached JoDitt with Joyful Heart Design. If you’d like me to call you back, please leave your name and number. And remember… Jesus is the reason we celebrate this joyful holiday season!” 
3. Phone Greetings: While you can’t always give as long of a greeting as you can with voicemail, you can still answer the phone with, “Merry Christmas! This is [your name]. How can I help you?,” etc. And you can certainly end your conversation by wishing the caller a “Merry Christmas!” And I haven’t done this, but I have heard of someone who, when a telemarketer calls, listens to what they have to say, and then witnesses to them or asks if there is anything that he could pray with them about. *** “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season;” - 2 Timothy 4:2
4. Prayer: If you encounter someone who is having problems, is having a rough day, or who can’t see any reason to be joyful, ask them if you can pray for them. I find that, at Christmas time, people are more open to being prayed for and are also more open to hearing the good news of Jesus Christ. But  be sure to do it with a servant’s heart, not with an “I’m better than you” attitude.
5. Singing: Without being obnoxious, sing every chance you get, especially during Christmas time. 
   “Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ.” -Ephesians 5:19-20 
   Singing has so many wonderful benefits:
1. It is FUN!!! 
2. It can lift the spirit of both the person singing and the person listening. 
   I love this quote from by Buddy from the movie, ELF, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!”
3. If you are singing songs are God-honoring and give praise to God, this is one of the most powerful types of prayer.
4. The activity of going “Christmas Caroling” can be such a special surprise blessing to those being sung to. But, in my experience, the people in the group doing the “caroling” usually have just as much or more fun as the people they “bless” with their singing. I think it is the “It’s more blessed to give than to receive” principle at work here. 
5. It is hard to think about your problems and be in a bad mood while singing fun songs and/or singing praises to God. 

 I hope you will take these ideas for spreading the JOY of Christ this Christmas and put your own spin on them and adapt them to your life. Tomorrow I will share with you ways to spread the JOY of Christ this Christmas through your written communications.

The idea I am going to share with you today for
Spreading the JOY of Christ this Christmas
came from my sister, who actually did this—
decorate someone else’s house or yard
with Christmas decorations.

Everyone in family knows how much joy my youngest sister gets from seeing colorful Christmas lights and beautiful Christmas decorations. But we know that because my youngest sister is single, works late hours both at her job and volunteering in her community that she probably would not make time to decorate her house. So last week my mom, my daughter, and my middle sister and her two young kids traveled over an hour to go decorate my youngest sisters house and yard while she was at work. They did not even let her know they were in town. I did not know they were doing this or I would have gone to help. I found out about it because I happened to call my middle sister while they were in the middle of decorating, so when I asked her what she was doing she told me. 

Anyways, I knew this would mean so much to my youngest sister and I wish I could have been there to see her face when she drove up to her house that night. Here is what she wrote about it on her facebook wall:

What a wonderful surprise!!! I am driving up to my house late last night after a long day at work and see lights… someone came and decorated my yard, porch and living room with beautiful, bright, colorful Christmas trees, lights, bows… brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart! I am immeasurably blessed with sweet, thoughtful, loving family! THANK YOU to my precious sister, Mama, and nieces. I love you!

Now they didn’t spend tons of $$ or anything. They used things they already had, but this small act of kindness really touched my sister’s heart and made her feel loved. And each time she looks at these simple decorations, she is reminded of how blessed she is. 

So I challenge you to spread the JOY of Christ this Christmas by thinking of someone that you could bless by decorating their house or yard this Christmas. It could be a family member who doesn’t have the time or money to do it themselves or it could be an elderly person who has health problems that prevent them from doing all the things they want to do or it could be a family who is busy spending time at the hospital with a loved one. To me it makes it more fun if you can manage to do it as a surprise, but it may be that the it would be more of a blessing to someone to have the time of fellowship while doing the Christmas decorating together.

Just ask Jesus to show you how you can spread the JOY of Christ this Christmas, and then open your eyes and ears and don’t be surprised when he shows you exactly what to do and whom to bless.

Jesus is the reason that I celebrate this holiday season and it is my intention to bring glory and honor to HIS name in all that I do, including all that I do during the Christmas season. That is why I decided to write a series of 25 blog posts that will give you some ideas on how you, too can spread the joy of Christ this Christmas. I would love to hear your ideas as well. You can post them in the comments below, or post them on the facebook page I began for this cause, Spreading the Joy of Christ.

You may want to subscribe to this blog so you won’t miss any of the 25 ways to spread the joy of Christ this Christmas.

The first idea I want to share with you to help spread the JOY of Christ this Christmas is to count down to Christmas using a Christian Advent Calendar. An Advent calendar is a special calendar that counts and celebrates the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas Day. According to an article at HuffingtonPost.com, “The tradition of the Advent calendar has existed in some form since the middle of the 19th century. For Christians all over the world, the Advent calendar has been used as a devotional tool to countdown the days of the Advent season that culminates with the celebration of the birth of Christ. Advent calendars have commonly been used for the education and entertainment of children, with daily scriptural readings that sometimes come with a chocolate treat.” Read the entire article here. 

Some calendars are secular, using images of Santa Claus, jingle bells, Christmas trees, etc. But for the purpose of spreading the joy of Christ this Christmas, I suggest finding or making an advent calendar that focuses on the celebration of the birth of Jesus. If you have young children, be sure to use an advent calendar that is not fragile, but one that is interactive and suitable for the ages of your children. Remember that your family is your primary mission field and do not underestimate the power of spreading the joy of Christ this Christmas within your own family.

Here is a site that lists several Free Christian Advent Calendars.

Here are some Advent Calendars you can make yourself (or let your kids make):

 2011 Thriving Family Advent Activity Calendar

The Nativity Story Advent Calendar

How to Make Your Own Christian Advent Calendar

This blogger has compiled great examples of homemade Advent calendars.

Here are a few examples of advent calendars geared toward young children:

Advent Calendars for families, churches or small groups or Christians of any age to enjoy:

Recently, technology has enabled a new twist on this old tradition. Online Advent calendars allow individuals to easily explore scripture verses, daily meditations and other content through the familiar form of the calendar.

Here’s a few online Advent Calendars to check out:

TeachingMom.com (Actually, this is an entire list of Advent Calendar resources!)

 Wycliffe Advent Calendar From Wycliffe Bible Translators…each day reveals a Christmas fact and a reason for the season!

The St. Margaret Mary Advent Calendar FUN graphics & scripture!

 Christian Christmas Advent Calendar Daily Bible readings, activities, crafts, recipes and songs to sing for Advent.

 2011 Online Advent Calendar from DavidJeremiah.org (So fun!)

Whether you choose a traditional Advent Calendar or an online Advent Calendar, just be sure to choose one that you and your family will enjoy—one that will help you Spread the JOY of Christ this Christmas, not one that will add guilt to your life if you miss a day or two.

Licensed by Avanquest. Available for purchase at simplytoimpress.com.
© JoDitt Williams 2011 

Licensed by Avanquest. Available for purchase at simplytoimpress.com.
© JoDitt Williams 2011 

Available for purchase exclusively at LittleCardCompany.com, an online shop run by three moms, that specializes in Christian Christmas Photo Cards that each contain a faith-based message surrounded by a unique, modern, and fun design, providing customers with a great opportunity to share a slice of their lives and an element of their faith with those they love!
© JoDitt Williams 2011 

JoDitt shares Little Card Company’s mission to spread the JOY of Christ this Christmas. Check out their site for other fabulous Christian Christmas Photo Cards.

Available for purchase in the Christmas Party Invitations section at SimplyToImpress.com
© 2011 JoDitt Williams

A similar version, Sweet Candy Christmas, is available for purchase as an eInvite at Pingg.com.

Available for purchase in the Business Holiday Cards section at SimplyToImpress.com
© 2011 JoDitt Williams