What should Christian parents tell their kids about Santa? In this episode, Chris and Alisa unpack the history, the heart, and the hesitation behind the Santa question—and share practical ways to keep Christ at the center of Christmas while still nurturing joy and wonder.

The holidays can be a deeply conflicted time when you’re grieving. While the world celebrates, your heart may feel heavy, out of place, or quietly aching. In this thoughtful piece, Dr. Kevin Van Lant offers ten practical and grace-filled ways to navigate the Christmas season with honesty, tenderness, and hope—reminding you that God meets us gently in our sorrow.

In this episode, Chris and Alisa Grace explore managing holiday stress, balancing busyness, expectations, and finding joy. They discuss practical tips for setting realistic expectations, planning ahead, navigating family dynamics, and staying emotionally connected during this busy season. With insights on how to prioritize relationships, manage stress, and align your heart with God's perspective, this episode provides helpful strategies for a more peaceful and meaningful holiday experience. Whether you're navigating relationships with family, friends, or significant others, you'll find valuable advice to improve your connections this holiday season.

In this episode, Chris and Alisa Grace explore the topic of navigating grief and loss during the holidays. They are joined by Dr. Kevin Van Lant, a licensed clinical psychologist and expert in pastoral care and counseling, who provides invaluable insights into the challenges of processing grief during a season traditionally associated with joy and togetherness. They discuss the importance of recognizing and sitting with the pain, offering practical ways to support both yourself and others during difficult times, and how faith plays a transformative role in the grieving process.

In this blog, Alisa Grace reflects on the challenges of navigating holidays as in-laws, particularly when sharing grown children and their spouses with other families. She emphasizes the importance of embracing a "new normal" by fostering open communication, empathy, and flexibility. Rather than clinging to specific dates, Alisa encourages focusing on meaningful connections and adapting traditions to fit everyone’s needs. Sharing her own experience, she notes that celebrating Thanksgiving on a different day allowed her family to prioritize quality time together, reinforcing that the heart of the holiday lies in the time spent, not the date itself.

In this episode, Chris and Alisa Grace explore the importance of family traditions, especially during the holiday season. They discuss how traditions create bonding, foster a sense of belonging, and adapt over time as families grow and change. Joined by CMR staff members Jane Locke and Tatum Munivez, they share personal stories and offer practical insights into navigating traditions in the face of life changes like marriage, moving, or loss. Whether you're celebrating with your parents, kids, in-laws, or friends, this episode offers meaningful ways to build relationships and honor the deeper reasons for the season.

In this week's podcast, CMR Co-Directors Dr. Chris and Alisa Grace address the not-so-glamorous realities that can come with the holiday season and offer practical tips for how to center your family on each other and Christ this Christmas.

In this week's video, New Testament professor and scholar Dr. Matt Williams helps the CMR celebrate Thanksgiving by sharing the importance of the spiritual discipline of Thanksgiving, not just the holiday.

There are lots of ways to say “I love you” during the holidays, aren’t there? But truly, Christmas is the greatest “I love you” all. It’s the ferocious “I love you” from the throne of heaven, because it’s about a God who became man just to show us His love in a tangible way. In today's blog, Debra Fileta offers 12 days of practical ways to "say I love you without words."

In today's video, staff counselor Sarah Do offers tips for setting the tone of conversation around the table and emphasizes the need for grace.