What Does Your Christmas To Do List Look Like?

Stressed out mom at Christmas #stressoutmom #theimportanceoffaith

As the holidays approach, is your Christmas to do list getting longer? It can become overwhelming…

Menus to plan
Gifts to purchase
Groceries to purchase
Pick out and purchase a tree – not just any tree – the perfect tree
Decorate the house – inside and out!
Cookie baking and traditions to fulfill
Travel plans to make
….and a new outfit to purchase this year – like every year – only I never do because I’m too busy covering everything on that holiday to do list to shop for myself!

Is Preparing for Christmas Supposed to Look Like This?

Advent is a time to reflect and prepare, but the most important preparation is in our hearts. As church goers, we certainly hear that, and in our hearts, we know that to be true. And yet we walk out of church and into the chaos of what the world says we should do to prepare for the season, and the noise of the world can be deafening. The Christmas to do list becomes a source of stress and overwhelm.

I am struck by the pressure we feel to live up to the demands of the world. We all want to have a rich experience at Christmas, but what exactly is needed for that? Does God require us to conform to the world’s standards of holiday preparations? Are we guided by the world’s expectations or God’s?

Humans added the whole gift-giving, tree purchasing, elaborate food menus, and decorations to the Holy day. God didn’t intend for us to have all the clutter of Christmas celebrations.

Instead of a Christmas To Do List, How About Identifying What You Really Need

Jesus came without anything – not even His own house or crib! We look at the stable and we may tend toward the “Oh, that’s quaint”. But God had a purpose in sending His son like that. He’s trying to tell us something.

We don’t need anything else.

And instead of listening to the message, we actually go in the opposite direction by adding so. much. stuff. to our celebration. The perfect tree, elves on shelves, the fancy menus, the excessive food, and perfect gifts – they may all be nice, but consider whether they distract you from what is really important.

We only truly need one thing – to deepen our love and gratitude for Jesus.

And it doesn’t matter how old you are, it is still a struggle to focus on what is important, rather than expectations.

One of the Most Freeing Decisions We Can Make is to Let Go of Expectations.

If you want to have some or all of the accessories of Christmas, if they contribute to the joyful spirit in the home, then do what works for your family.

If, however, it has all become a list of expectations that need to be met, limit the excesses. Jesus couldn’t care less if you have a big fancy dinner on your grandmother’s china, or if you decided to have mac-n-cheese and hotdogs for Christmas dinner, as long as you kept the celebration focused on celebrating your relationship with Jesus.

If we love others as Jesus loved, if we have the humility of a God who became man to save us, and the complete surrender of our will to God’s as Mary and Joseph did, that’s all we need.

We need to let go of expectations – ours, our parents, our in-laws, friends, the world.

Truth be told, it has taken me a long time to come to this understanding. So, part of my goal this Advent is to ask myself, “Why am I doing what I’m doing?”, and “Am I working to really prepare for Jesus in my heart?”.

You Can’t Love What You Don’t Know, and You Won’t Give What You Don’t Love

Taking time during Advent to read about the life of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is an excellent way to prepare for Christmas. If you are looking for a good book (not every spiritual book is great) to deepen your relationship with Jesus, check out my free download of excellent books on faith and spirituality. They will help you understand how Jesus interacts in your life, and help you live with a better presence of God. They’ll also help you teach your children about their relationship with God. We can’t give what we don’t have, and if we’re not actively growing in our faith and modeling our love for God, we won’t be able to “convince” the children of the importance of faith and relationship with God. The children learn by watching what we love more than telling them what they should love.

If you spend just fifteen minutes each day reading you’ll be amazed at the progress you can make. You can start by reading the New Testament, beginning with the book of Matthew and working your way through all the gospels reading just five minutes a day. Then you can choose one of the books from this download and read that for ten minutes. Fifteen minutes – less time than we spend checking Instagram!

You’ll be amazed at the calm it brings you as you spend time really preparing for Jesus. Free yourself from expectations and find Jesus who awaits us in simplicity and love.

Prayers for peace and calm in the next week!

Janet