Christmas is Coming

It’s not Winter yet, my husband reminds me…but it’s cold…very cold…and wet….

But cold, dreary weather makes the lights shine brighter, so let’s get those lights up, and start spreading some holiday cheer!!

Just what is that, anyway… Holiday cheer?

I believe it’s LOVE.  The things we do with love in our hearts.

Would you like for Christmas to be “simpler” and less complicated… less hustle?

All you have to do is decide.  Too simple?  Just try it.  Decide.  Then you can figure out how to do it.  There are different ways.  All families are different, and come up with different ways to adjust down a little… or a lot.

Most of your friends and family probably actually want it to be less hectic—at least that’s what we found with our family.

It’s hard to work during the holidays and get Christmas done in good fashion at the same time.  But truly, it CAN be easier.

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Christmas doesn’t have to mean spending a ton of money.  I’m going to be making a few sweets for gifts this year.  I stay pretty-much away from them, myself, but I love to cook and bake, and most people love special Christmas stuff!  Given with a nice card and include heartfelt messages.

If you are “crafty”, you could have all sorts of things to make which would probably be cheaper than buying gifts.

Another thing we’ve done, I resisted for a long time, but there got to be quite a large number of people if you intended to buy for each one, which I did intend to do that… we started drawing names, and each person only giving one gift. 

We drew names during Thanksgiving.  Do you realize there’s an app for that?  You can put in a dollar amount! And it gives you suggestions of what you want, and it gives you options in your price range!

Our Christmas meal, which we also pared down to “finger food” is now potluck finger food.  Everyone brings at least one item of their favorite food, and we have such a great variety!  We try new recipes, and use old family recipes. 

My nephew always makes “Little Grammy’s” rum cake, so we can eat and remember she used to make one every year.  (She also would make one for each of us and she’d bring it to each of our places of work for us to share her gift.  Everywhere we have worked remembers Little Grammy’s treats she used to bring.)

(Little Grammy is my mom.  She passed away at 99, three years ago.)

A niece brings her specialty, strawberries that are filled with goodness of some kind and I think has some chocolate on them, plus some kind of delicious crumbs.  I just remember how delicious they are!  I look forward to them. 

I tried a new recipe one year—stuffed dates, which were good, but looked terrible.  No one cared how they looked.

Then after we eat, we play “dirty Santa”.   Everyone brings a gift, and we draw numbers.  Number 1 chooses a gift from the array of packages, then Number 2 can either “steal” the first gift, or choose the gift that looks like what they want, and then on down the numbers with each person choosing—or stealing—a gift. 

Sometimes it gets pretty ruthless, but it’s all in fun and we enjoy that every year.  And it’s so much better than buying gifts for so many.

There are too many people for our house these past few years.  We used the garage several years, cleaning and decorating, then putting carpet on the floor, and lights up, making it nice and festive. 

We set up tables and chairs, and decorated the tables with greenery and flowers and candles, then get some special little candies of different kinds, and spread on the tabletops.

We’ve a hot chocolate bar, with all the trimmings.  It was simpler than you’d think.  I borrowed a large coffee pot for hot water, and having chopped peppermint pieces, tiny chocolate chips, tiny marshmallows, whipped cream, etc. lined up in pretty little dishes, for people to add.

I also am looking at a recipe for wrapping some shrimp in bacon and roasting it, maybe adding some cheese inside.  But Sam’s sells them so if I do that, I’ll probably just buy some. 

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It’s hard to work during the holidays and get Christmas done, at the same time.  But it CAN be easier.

Make your List… then Prioritize it… Even write down things that you need (and want) to get done.  Then decide WHEN you plan to get each thing done.

1.      If you do this, and then if everything won’t fit in your calendar, consider it a Gift! Because then you KNOW ahead of time, that you CAN’T get it all DONE!!  So you KNOW, you need to re-group and re-arrange that list, TAKE THINGS OUT—instead of trying to FIT everything in!

2.     This will: Eliminate the Guilt of “failing” at what you want.  And it will show you you can be successful at the most important things.

3.     As you prioritize, be sure to put time in your calendar for “quiet time” for yourself.  Don’t leave this step off.  Your body and mind NEED it, to get re-charged to get everything done.

4.     Be Thankful.  For the things you were able to fit into your calendar.  AND for the things you took out.  Don’t wish for those things.  Be thankful for the calm you can experience because they’re sacrificed out of your life—as if you got some poison out of your life. 

5.     Be Thankful you were able to be successful with this step.

My tree is up.  I found a pretty little tree at a craft show.  First time we haven’t had a full-size tree.  But no one had to help us put it up.  It’s pre-lit and pre-decorated.  No stress.  I’ve resisted this for years, and I’m not saying this will be an every-year thing.  But for this year, it works great.

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I think sometimes—maybe most of the time—we want so much for things to be really, really nice (well, perfect maybe), and when we see that NOT happening, we begin to stress.  But maybe our “perfect-meter” needs to be adjusted…Relaxed a bit...  So we can ENJOY the holidays.

I hope you CHOOSE the things you want to ENJOY the most this holiday season, and that you relax about the rest of it.  I happen to know it’s easier said than done, but I also happen to know, IT CAN HAPPEN, if we’re intentional about it ahead of time.  Let’s be Intentional.

And while we’re at it, let’s be truly be serious about building in some time for us to simply “be still” and soak up some peace in the stillness.  Take this time—more than once or twice if you can—to just enjoy some quiet, and reflection on the year, and things you’re thankful for.

Let’s Decide to have a Special Christmas.  Peaceful.  Calm.  With a full heart.  I hope we can all have more Peace and Tranquility than ever this year, and I also hope we can Share that Peace with Someone we Know… and then maybe Someone we Don’t Know.

Read St. Luke Chapter 2.

If you feel loss or pain, or sadness this holiday season, spend extra time in God’s word; appreciate the people you have in your life; and as hard as it could be to do, spend some time with people who love you.  And again, be thankful for the blessings you have in your life.

If I can help you in any way at all during this holiday season, talk to me.

sharon@whereisyourcalm.com or (479) 234-2298.

Sharon