Holiday Preparation Mania!

OK – before we get into the full swing of “holiday preparation mania,” let’s sit down inside and think.  Isn’t it ironic that the celebration of Jesus’ birth has become an excuse for material excess and frantic activity?  He never owned a home (much less spent time and money decorating one), had few material possessions, and no need to keep track of His schedule in a planner.  Yet for many of us, Christmas involves extensive decorating, plenty of purchasing (sometimes beyond what our budget allows), and scheduling that would make a juggler's head spin!  God’s Word doesn’t address our 21^st century traditions directly, but it holds many truths that apply to the focus and intensity of our lives. 

Ecclesiastes 4:6 says "Better a handful with quietness than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind."

Proverbs 17:1 says "Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife."

I Peter 3:3,4 speaks to decorating ourselves - and by extension, our homes!  "Do not let your adornment be merely outward - arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel - rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."

 

And Isaiah 26:3 holds a beautiful promise:  "You will keep her in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because she trusts in You." 

This year, I want life in our home to be peaceful.  Oh, it wouldn't seem like Christmas without all of our stockings hung up, and the lights of the Christmas tree glowing . . . but I know that I don't have to deck out EVERY square inch of the house, and we can still enjoy the sentimental feeling of the season.  (Not to mention the work of putting it all away in January will be much less!)

God blessed Daryl with a new job this year - but it came with a new budget for our household!  So everyone has a heads-up that our "spending limit" for each person will be less . . . and really, it's about time in our house.  No one really needs anything - and I don't want to promote materialism anyway.  So less shopping, less spending, less greed . . . and less wrapping too! 

And while I do plan to have a baking day with the girls, and also have everyone over for dinner at some point, I would like to be laughing and gentle-spoken throughout the prep, event and clean-up . . . so I will need to make sure my expectations are realistic, practical and flexible.  My family will remember the attitude that permeates the holiday celebrations more than they will the specifics of what we ate.

And balancing social gatherings with quietness at home is important too - Jesus met with the crowds, gathered with the twelve, talked quietly with James, Peter and John, and also made it a priority to be alone with His Father daily.  I want that kind of reality for myself - time alone with God each day to reflect on the season, my life, and what He has planned for the day.  Time with my husband to just talk, snuggle and be together.  Time with our kids that is calm and low-pressured.  AND time with groups of friends as well.  But there's only 5 weeks between now and New Year's . . . remembering not to overload us is both my PRIVILEGE and my RESPONSIBILITY!  As Moses prayed in Ps 90:12: "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."  

 

So here's to celebrating sanely this year - and enjoying all that God has for us in the days ahead!

What will you do to change this year’s holiday celebrations and your preparations to reflect quietness and peace?