What is it about Christmas that so many have such a
love-hate relationship about? I love the decorations, the music, wrapping gifts
but I hate the traffic and the crowds.
Bah humbug, right? Why do we
feel the need to put things on the credit card that we can’t pay for? What does it say about our Christmas busyness
that we breathe a sigh of relief in January? Do we feel guilt for the relief that it’s all over? For myself I felt
caught up in the expectations of the holiday.
Not by anyone in particular but in general. About three years ago my perspective and
priorities began to change when I noticed something like a series of lanterns
lighting up over the period of a few weeks until finally the path was clearly
lit with the choice Paul and I were faced with.
A good illustration is the organizers ideal: The best way to clean out a closet is to
empty it and only put back what belongs there.
That approach makes it intentional.
So forget what you always do and what you’re expected to do at
Christmastime. Why have you been doing
those things?
Make every
decision about what you allow into your schedule, your emotional tank and your
bank account coincide with the purpose you are giving to Christmas (aka Jesus’
birthday).
First comes the statement that the changes we made to how
we celebrate Christmas were personal decisions between God and us. There isn’t any expectation that what we are
doing is THE best way nor do we pat
ourselves on the back under the illusion that we’re doing what we’ve been asked
to do perfectly. But oh let me tell you
the JOY I’ve experienced these three Christmas seasons with a new purpose. I am
so passionate about this revelation we’ve experienced! I would love for everyone to experience a
stress-free Christmas by decluttering what Christmas has become.
So what changed? Our perspective transformed when considering our schedule and commitments. It
wasn’t anything dramatic. It was just being
intentional about how we spent our time.
We planned the things that were important to us by putting them on the
family calendar. We planned things to
do as a family that were just fun and also things that were about giving to and
helping others. There are ways to
involve preschoolers! My task oriented
mindset needed to be checked before these “giving times” with our boys because
it didn’t matter how efficiently it got done but that my children got to
experience that Christmas isn’t about them.
After all,
what we DO sticks with our children more than what we SAY.
Sometimes we said “no” to invitations because we wanted to
be home as a family. We just needed to
take a step back to avoid feeling like we were running around like headless
chickens! (Can I get an Amen?)
Money. It should be a
four-lettered word, shouldn’t it? This
was the hardest and the most
enjoyable part. After weeks of considering
the changes we felt convicted to make, my
husband and I both felt that there was a certain percentage of our Christmas
budget that should be set-aside for Christ first. The prodding to make changes hit near the end
of Christmas in 2010. We said “let’s put
a pin in this and sit down and look at what changes we need to make after we
get through this year.” Shouldn’t that
be a pulsing warning light that we aren’t celebrating Christ when we just want
to get through it?!? So almost three
years ago we sat down and figured up what we spent on Christmas the month
before. We then made a Christmas budget
for the upcoming year and put Christ’s portion first. Our
kids, each other, family members, teacher’s gifts, etc. all were fit in afterwards. The hard part was wondering how in the
world we were going to buy “good” gifts for others with the reduced
budget.
But the
amazingly wonderful thing about it all was that there was so much more joy in
the giving because our priorities had changed.
For the past three years our time and our money better reflect
that it’s HIS birthday we are celebrating.
I never understood what the argument was about saying Happy Holidays vs
Merry Christmas.
Does it
really matter that you’re saying Merry Christmas if you’re only tossing a
small portion His direction while the majority of your expenses and activities
look very similar to everyone else?
No one is critiquing our December calendars or our charity related
receipts to tell us whether or not we are doing the right thing. The freedom we feel to truly celebrate the
point of Christmas and the joy we’ve experienced is validation that the hard
choices are worth it.
Christmas 2013 is 6 weeks away. What better time to take a step back and
prayerfully consider how God wants us to handle the resources He’s
given us? There’s still plenty of time to plan ahead so you can produce more
than good intentions. Paring down on the
excesses of the season frees you up to participate
in Christmas and not feel like you’ve been hit by the Polar Express.
