When I opened my planner this week to December it said, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” I have a hard time believing those words. Every year when Christmas comes around, I start stressing out and it quickly becomes my least favorite time of year. There are so many pressures; finding the perfect gifts for the kids and the husband, extended family gifts, decorating, putting up the tree, baking, parties, traditions, Christmas cards, neighbor gifts, gifts for those who serve you year-round, stocking stuffers, which I always forget and then I must go out the week of Christmas, etc. The lists seem to go on forever in December and I hate shopping! How do I get it all done without going crazy and trying to remember the true meaning of Christmas. My planner has a whole section dedicated to Christmas and it is 17 pages long. Are we doing too much? How can I spend less money?
Now don’t get me wrong because I love Christmas Day and the week before New Year’s. This has been my favorite time of year. It is because my husband is off work, and my kids are home. We would watch movies, do puzzles, play games, make food, and just relax. As I started to contemplate the difference between the first few weeks of December and the last week, my mind has been enlightened. In the first part of the month, all the things that I put on my list are things that I feel are required to make Christmas perfect, some of them are things that the world says I need to do to enjoy the Holidays. Last year I looked at my list and began to feel overwhelmed before Thanksgiving was even over. I discovered that I needed to decide what was important for me and get rid of the things that don’t really bring me peace and joy.
The first thing that I eliminated was Christmas Cards. When I first made this decision, I was worried about all those that this was the only contact I had with them all year. My husband wisely told me that it was OK, if they needed a Christmas Card to know that I loved them, then they probably weren’t good friends. We decided to spend the time we usually spend addressing and stamping the letters, to create a “Christmas Card Group” on our email and to send out a picture and update that we make every year as part of a family tradition. It wouldn’t take any extra time away in years to come, to send our update to the “Christmas Card Group” email.
We started looking for other things that we could eliminate so we could enjoy the holidays and focus on our Savior. We have cut out many of our extended family gifts by discussing with them a better way to show that we love each other. We have found simple and cost-effective ideas—no more sending gifts we don’t even know if they will like across the country. We have cut out a lot of things that were distractions or didn’t bring us joy. We now concentrate on what is important and what God needs us to do. Our new motto in December is, “If we have the energy to do it, then we will. If not, then let it go.” What I feel comfortable eliminating may not be what you feel comfortable doing, but look seriously at why you do something. Service at this time of year is always needed, but we can’t serve if we are overwhelmed or exhausted. Do what you can and enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy it, look twice at why you are doing it and decide if it is still worth it.
Remember the reason for the season. The greatest gift is the birth, death, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ! The real reason for the season! Christmas should be a time of remembering Him, a time of peace, a time for love and a time to serve. Do things that will bring those things into your life. Let’s Serve with Joy this Holiday Season.
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