I sit in front of a cheery fire, late at night, looking at our glowing Christmas tree. It’s still delightful, even with gifts gone from underneath. We’ve had a lovely holiday season in spite of Covid and allofthethings.
We lit candles. We sang carols. We marveled at Christmas lights and lifted our gaze to wonder at stars in the night sky.
Jesus was born in us again. Glory to God in the highest heavens. And glory to God in the lowest stable.
Still, there are things I wish I had done differently.
In the Christmas season, everything is MORE.
We feel everything MORE intensely – the good and the bad. We add in MORE to our already-packed-no-margin schedules. We drink MORE and eat MORE and bake MORE.
And all that MORE comes at a price.
If you’re like me, Advent can creep up on you and all of a sudden you’re in the middle of it, scrambling to fit in everything.
SO here are three things I’m doing to make next year even better:
1. MAKE A LIST NOW!
Right now, make a google doc or a paper list if that’s your jam (make sure to put it in a safe place).
Consider having a conversation with your family if you want to include them. Evaluate Christmas 2021. Discuss these questions:
- What worked well for Christmas 2021?
- What mistakes do we want to avoid for Christmas 2022?
List ideas you read about this year that you’d like to do next year.
Consider getting a plastic bin and labeling it Christmas 2022. In it you can put things like books, gifts, Christmas lights, or cards that you buy on sale in January.
HOSPITALITY
What did you bake that you liked?
What menus worked?
Did you entertain too much or do you wish you had done more?
What helped make entertaining less stressful?
Are there specific types of gatherings you’d like to create?
SOUL CARE
What spiritual practices, devotionals, or books did you read that were meaningful? Are there ones you’ve seen others use that you’d like to try next year?
The best things I did this year were to participate in a half day Advent retreat early in December (you can also purchase portable retreats here), and use the Quiet Christmas Collection by Emily P. Freeman.
DECORATING
Take pictures before you take down decorations if you want to duplicate next year. Save links to that mantel you saw on Instagram that you’d like to try. Make note of what needs to be replaced (like Christmas lights).
CREATING
IF you love creating, make a list linking to ideas of things you’d like to make next year. Things you’ve seen for hostess gifts, family traditions, decorating, or party themes.
One of my favorite things I made last year was bottle brush tree stirrers. This year I saw someone skewer each with a big marshmallow for hot chocolate!
One of my favorite food gifts to make is homemade granola.
I’d like to try this Rosemary Salt to give as a hostess gift, and this Star Garland
FAMILY
Are there traditions you’d like to start? I read about this idea from prvrbsthirtyonegirl that I LOVE and even though I don’t have kids at home, I might create one for John and me! Ally and Ryan have one family activity for each day of Advent. You can make your own list that fits with your life stage!
Have you heard about books you’d like to read alone or out loud? Here’s a list of kids’ Christmas and Thanksgiving books.
Every year I used to read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever aloud to the family, a chapter a night. This year my book group read Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory which would be another good read-aloud for a little bit older kids.
A wonderful novel for the season is Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
GIFTS
What are gifts you received that might be a good idea to remember? (Two of our favorites were Lou Malnati’s pizza from Chicago and homemade Lars Bars (which my friend renamed “Laura Bars” 😍 for hiking, along with the recipes! )
Did you hear about a game that another family tried and liked that would be good to get next year? (We got and loved “It’s in the Bag”!)
2. SCHEDULE A DAY LATER
Block off a day on your calendar and label it CHRISTMAS PLANNING DAY.
You can make it whenever you want, but I’d say a day in the week before Thanksgiving would be good. I’ve marked my calendar for Saturday, November 19th. I also try to protect the Sunday, and Monday after Thanksgiving to decorate.
Then put two alerts in – one for a week before and one for two days before so it will actually happen! (I almost forgot this, and believe me, it won’t happen if I don’t have alerts in!)
On this day you’re going to answer questions and make lists and put dates on your calendar.
What do I need to say “no” to in order to say “yes” to the most meaningful things this season?
Since Christmas adds in, are there things you need to cut out in order to make room? How can you manage your expectations? This might even mean talking to your boss if there are extra things required of you at work, and asking what regular responsibilities he or she thinks can be put on hold so that you will have adequate margin.
3. SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
On your Christmas planning day, put dates on your calendar – the big things you want to make sure happen. Include scheduling in Sabbaths. Maybe make an appointment for a pedicure if it is in your budget.
Practice saying, “Thank you so much for thinking of me, but I’m already committed and need to say ‘no’ this time.”
If you’re having trouble scheduling your own family celebration plus time with in-laws, decide what’s best for your family and then give in-laws several options to choose from that will work for you. (Someone once told me, you need to approach in-laws like you do toddlers – assure them that you love them and give them acceptable choices :))
Prayerfully hold things lightly. Remember, you’re planning so that you won’t end up being highjacked by every urgent thing that comes up, but there may be last-minute changes you need to make, or holy interruptions that deserve your attention. Commit your plans to the Lord and ask Him to confirm or help you adapt.
Lord help me to move slowly enough to experience Jesus fully and love others deeply.
Plan to practice the Examen during Advent. To help, you can upload the Lectio 365 app. It has an Evening prayer that guides you through a review of your day, helping you to slow down and pay attention to the presence of God in your life – especially valuable in the busy Christmas season.
What ideas have you seen this year that you want to remember for next year? Share with us in the comments!
