When I think of God planning a way and a place for His Son to join us here on earth, my first thought isn't an unwed teenage girl as a mom or a stable in a tiny town called Bethlehem as the place.

I'm pretty sure if I had been given the challenge of choosing the right way and place for the Son of God to enter mankind I would have thought of something pretty spectacular.

Definitely trumpets.

Definitely parades.

Definitely a royal entry for a royal Son.

I'm so thankful God didn't put humans in charge of making these first-Christmas plans.

We seem to have a tendency to complicate everything, and I'm just thinking that trying to find an appropriate way to say, "Welcome, Jesus," would have been a great reason to go all out.

But God chose simple.

He chose methods that included words and phrases like "tiny, lowly, manger, shepherds, peace, cattle, no room in the inn..."

God didn't need fancy, because God's purpose wasn't to impress.

His purpose was to simply give.

He gave Hope that night.

He gave Peace.

He gave Love.

He gave a promise.

He gave a future.

He gave a beginning so that we would fear no end.

And I've decided to embrace this simple spirit for the holiday season this year.

All our kids are coming in for the holidays.

Evan is coming from California.

Erich and Mallory are coming from Texas.

Todd will be home from college.

And Olivia, of course, is still at home.

There is a temptation inside of me to go all out.

Fill every room with Christmas trees and decorations.

Transform the house into a Christmas extravaganza so the house will scream, "Merry Christmas!!" everywhere I look.

But I'm feeling the need to go simple this year.

There's only a few weeks until the holidays are upon us in a fury, and I am deciding today not to forget how the Christmas story began.

Quietly.

Peacefully.

Silently.

I love those words.

I want Christmas at the Nischan house to be a time of love and laughter, not hustle and bustle.

I want to walk into the holidays not run.

I want to smile through the season not stress.

So, I'm claiming God's way of creating a beautiful Christmas.

Simple but very special.

If you find yourself beginning to panic as you think of "all the things you need to do" before the holidays arrive, take a deep breath and picture the first Christmas.

No one was running around trying to create a perfect scene.

Peace came to earth on that first Christmas yet we've been searching for it ever since.

This year I challenge you to create "peace on earth" inside the walls of your home as the holidays approach and see what happens.

Have a happy Thursday and soak up every special minute!

I love you all!

Scroll down a few posts if you want to sign up for the bird nest necklace give-away for you or a friend.

The drawing is tomorrow night!