Faith in Parenting

What are your favorite parts of the holiday season? Which parts are “work” to you, and which parts are soul-satisfying?

I used to think that putting up the tree was a hassle; I could never get the lights right! And I can tell you that tonight is no different; the tree is technically upright, but there are whole sections unlit!

And guess what? That’s really okay. I’ll figure it out tomorrow or Monday; it will get done. For now, it looks beautiful anyway just as it is.

So how about you? What parts of the Christmas celebrations tend to stress you out? What’s really important to you in how your family celebrates Christmas, and what would you rather skip this year? How can you incorporate more of “the good stuff” and less of anything that feels like drudgery?

Here are some suggestions for simplifying your holiday season:

• Decide up front which traditions mean the most to you and which ones you’re doing simply because you’ve always done them.
• Try to include at least one “favorite” from each family member’s list.
• Communicate with your extended family about gift-giving. I know this is a tough one, but being up front about your wishes can save you a lot of time and money.
• Plan ahead for any gifts you want to make this year, and be honest about how long they will take to complete. (Don’t forget to incorporate the time you’ll spend gathering supplies, too!)
• Wrap gifts as you purchase them. This eliminates the risk of hiding something and later forgetting where you put it!
• Set a date for mailing gifts to out-of-town recipients.
• Don’t forget to include at least one date night during the holiday season, and schedule some mini-breaks for yourself, as well!

Think about it… If we really believe Jesus is the reason for the season, can we continue to fret over details like Christmas lights? It’s perfectly okay if some of your traditional celebrations - like hanging lights outside or baking homemade treats for your neighbors - don’t get done “on time” this year - or even at all! What’s really important is the preparation in your heart.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 24th, 2007 at 9:38 pm and is filed under worry, traditions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.