Celebrating Christmas in the Kitchen

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Luke 2:11 — For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

“What are we baking?” I asked, eyes wide.

I stood by the counter, wooden spoon in hand, trying not to make a total disaster of the kitchen. It smelled incredible—vanilla, butter, all the good stuff—and the sunlight made the mess of flour I’d created look almost artistic.

Mom laughed under her breath. “We’re making a birthday cake.”

“Okay, but who for this time?” I asked. “Someone at church?”

She shook her head. “For Jesus.”

I stared at her. “Like… Jesus Jesus?”

She nodded, completely calm about it.

I wasn’t sure what baking a cake for someone I’d never actually met was supposed to feel like, but as I stirred the batter, something about it felt oddly meaningful—like we were doing more than just following a recipe.

I did not know it yet, but this little tradition would stay with me, long after the flour had been swept from the floor. Each year we followed the same recipe, and each year my sister and I argued over who would lick the spoon first and who would sprinkle the sugar.

Mom never rushed my sister and me. She let us spread the icing and carefully place the candles on top. She wanted us to know, deep down, that this celebration was about more than a cake. It was about joy that came to the world and hope that would not let go.

As I grew, and faith became my own, I finally understood. The coming of Jesus is worth throwing a party over year after year. His birth was not a story in a dusty book. It was a rescue. A beginning.

Now in my own kitchen, flour and sugar lined the counter. My daughters peeked around the corner.

“What are you doing?” they asked.

I motioned them in and told them we were about to bake a birthday cake for Jesus. Soon there was laughter, batter on the floor, and three spoons too many in the bowl.

As we stirred, I leaned in to tell them what my mom once told me, reading softly from the Bible: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11. I hoped they would carry this moment with them, the way it stayed with me.

After all, if anything is worth celebrating, is it not the birth that changed the world?

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What Christmas tradition has helped shape your faith or understanding of Jesus over the years?
  • How does remembering Jesus’ birth as a rescue — not just a story — change the way you celebrate Christmas?
  • Who in your life might God be inviting you to pass faith along to through simple, meaningful moments?
  • When was the last time you paused to truly celebrate what Jesus’ coming means for you personally?
  • How can you make space this season — through tradition, conversation, or worship — to honor the Savior who changed everything?
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A Search That Led to Hope

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Hebrews 10:23 — “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”

The first week of December arrived, and I found myself thinking more about Christmas. My husband Tyler and I had been growing in our faith, raising two little girls, and trying to run our small faith-based boutique.

My girls are naturally so curious, and Tyler and I really wanted to teach them the real meaning behind the glitter and the bells. So, I started searching. Not for gifts, not for decorations. But for something that could help my daughters see the heart of Christmas without me lecturing them into it.

I knew the usual traditions were fun, but I wanted something that pointed them gently toward the One at the center of it all.

I found option after option. Most were cute, some were clever, but none felt right. Then I stumbled onto “Finding Jesus.” It is a lot like Elf on the Shelf, but along with the stuffed Jesus, it also comes with daily scriptures and puzzle pieces to hide. By Christmas morning, the puzzle would form a Nativity.

It was perfect. When the package arrived, I could hardly contain my excitement.

Every morning after that, I crept around the house hiding the piece of the day. Then I waited for the sound—quick footsteps across hardwood, whispers, giggles. Watching them search became my favorite part. Their eyes were bright, their hope uncomplicated.

About halfway through December, I caught myself standing still in the hallway, piece in hand, feeling something tug at me. While they were learning to search for Jesus, I was learning that I had stopped searching the same way. Not intentionally. Life had layered itself thick with schedules and responsibilities, the kind that crowd out wonder.

One morning, as they checked beneath couch cushions and behind curtains, the words of Hebrews 10:23 rose in my heart, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”

I stood still, letting it settle. I remembered the years I had spent searching for hope. I remembered the moment I first realized Jesus was exactly who He said He was—and how everything changed. That hope had once felt so fresh, so alive.

And here I was, gently reminded: Hold tight. Don’t let go. He is faithful.

By Christmas morning, the final puzzle piece snapped into place, and the Nativity scene spread across the table. The girls beamed. And there behind them, with a lump in my throat, I whispered the truth to my own heart:

Searching for Him is still so worth it.
Holding on to Him is still so necessary.
And hope—real hope—is still found only in Him.

So here’s my invitation to you today:
As you move through this season, keep searching for Jesus. Keep remembering what He’s already done. And keep holding tightly to the hope He has promised—because He is good, and He will never let you go.

— Kirstie Ford

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Where have you let “life layers” or busyness crowd out the wonder of searching for Jesus?
  • What promise of God do you need to hold tightly to this season?
  • When have you experienced God’s faithfulness in a way that renewed your hope?
  • How can you create simple moments or traditions that point your heart back to Jesus this December?
  • What does “holding without wavering” look like in your real, daily life right now?
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