How to Create a Peaceful Christmas Season For Your Family
“For unto us, a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
-Isaiah 9:6
Merry Christmas, Or It’s Supposed To Be
I don’t know about you, but Christmastime can easily become stressful. With all the pressure of making sure you get everything checked off your Christmas list, the different dishes you have to make sure you have all the ingredients to take to grandma’s. Plus if you have a big family, the numerous Christmas gatherings you have to attend in basically 48 hours. It can all be so overwhelming.
I will never forget one Christmas when my son and daughter were very young, I spent the majority of Christmas day in tears. I want to say it was the first Christmas we had spent in our home after we had finished building and moved in. Well, it had been a beyond busy few days, and on top of it all, Christmas had landed on a Sunday, so we of course went to church. While this wasn’t a bad thing, my attitude sure was.
That night when we were all done with the festivities, we got home, put the kids to bed, and my mom called me to ask if I was doing alright. Well, cue the floodgate and let the waterworks begin. I bawled my eyes out.
I shared with her how I was just so utterly exhausted and disappointed because I had set so many expectations for myself and failed at almost all of them, and then also I was so overwhelmed by the constant running. It was not a merry Christmas, to say the least.
What’s The Problem Here?
I look back to that Millie and want to give her a big hug. She was a young mom who had put way too much pressure on herself and prioritized the wrong things for Christmas. This season is to be a time filled with joy, excitement, time with the family, and the opportunity to bless one another. Celebrating our Savior, Christ Jesus, and the wonderful work He did for us by coming as a baby!
But yet somehow it’s not like that anymore. It now so easily slips into a time that cries of anything but peace on earth or turning our eyes back to the God Child. We have a culture that’s consumed with greed and self-gratification. Without even realizing it, you find yourself in a season of dread, instead of a season of cheer.
Set The Mood For Your Christmas
So now that we’ve addressed that white elephant in the room (inserts corny Christmas joke lol). I want you to do a little mind exercise with me. Transport yourself with me back to when you were about 7 years old. It’s Christmas time, and you’re so looking forward to ____. Fill in the blank.
I know for me, knowing that the day after Thanksgiving, my dad would crawl under the house and pull out the Christmas tote and tree. We would all together as a family put up our Christmas tree. It was tall and skinny and I can’t tell you how many times that thing fell over! My dad would wrap the tree in colorful lights. Then my mom had antique red beads she would put on. I remember she was the only one allowed to do this because it had to be just right. And then we kids would get to put on our ornaments. My grandma every year would buy us a new ornament for the tree. This was so much fun and I still have them to this day!
What made this such an impressionable time in my little seven-year-old mind wasn’t any one specific thing. It was many little things that all together made a memorable experience. It was the time with my family that made a lasting impact. The little details that I could count on recurring every year. The red beads (which I now have my own on my tree). The Christmas movie at the end of the night with my dad. He loved Christmas movies so much (and still does). Christmas music now being available 24/7 on the local radio station Lite 106.9.
I could tell you so many more Christmas stories that were impactful to me as a child. I won’t today for time’s sake. But I can tell you this, they all have something in common. They weren’t flashy, they weren’t expensive, and they all happened at home or with the people I loved. They were steady and sure and something I could always look forward to and count on.
Take the Pressure off
As moms, we set the moods for our homes. If we are stressed, everyone feels it. If we are unhappy, everyone knows it. Our children are watching us. They see how we react to things, whether it’s plans that don’t go our way. A crabby attitude about the Christmas budget being more than what we wanted to spend this year. Or complaining about that one family gathering we aren’t looking forward to.
I want to encourage you, to choose real joy and peace this season. Remember that you are the one who will set the mood for your home this season. Cultivate a spirit of thankfulness in your children, to Christ the Savior who came to pay the penalty of our sin so that we may have eternal life someday with Him in Glory!
“Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
-Philippians 2:6-8
Your kids probably won’t remember 95% of the presents you get over the entire time of Christmas they spend in your home, but they will remember you and their dad, and the home you created and cultivated for them. The smells, the food, the tree. So fill your home with Joy, Peace, and chiefest of all, Christ!
Check out my favorite cookie recipe!
https://bromabakery.com/sugar-cookies
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