Finding Balance During the Christmas Season

I love Christmas. I love the lights, the smell of fir tree-scented candles, and all things cinnamon. I love the parties, the parades, and wearing red and green. I love the tunes and may even kick off my Christmas playlist a little before Thanksgiving. I love eggnog, Christmas cookies, and snuggling up on the couch to watch Christmas movies.

I love watching my kids decorate the Christmas tree with their favorite ornaments (usually some unflattering childhood picture ornaments that will embarrass their siblings). I love making our version of Christmas cookies with my kids and completely destroying the kitchen with chocolate and sprinkles everywhere. I love our gatherings with extended family that last all day and include way too much food.

And I love Christmas with my church family. I love our annual Christmas party for Life Group leaders and volunteers where our team goes ALL IN on the theme. I love walking with our church friends in the Christmas parade. I love our Christmas Night of Worship where I can sing along at the top of my lungs and no one can hear me. I love sharing Christmas on the Green with our community where we are guaranteed “snow” and the laughter of children as they play in it. I love our Christmas Eve worship gatherings with the crying babies and talkative kids.

I told you, I love Christmas. There’s so much to love!

And with so much to love, well, it gets busy. Very busy. Admit it, some of you felt overwhelmed just reading my list! Some of you may even dread Christmas all year long. The Christmas season feels like the giant elephant in the corner that’s waiting to pounce on you, to suffocate you with people and parties and decorations and expectations.

I will admit; it can be a bit much. And it does seem to go by so fast – mainly because we are so busy. So, how do we do all the Christmas things, meet all the expectations, and still somehow manage to pause and remember Jesus, the real reason for the season? Well, I’m glad you asked. Below are a few suggestions which I humbly submit as reminders for myself this Christmas.

1. I believe it starts with our attitude. Every family has one person (at least one person) who determines the emotional temperature of the family or the family gathering. If you don’t know who it is, it’s probably you. Even if it’s NOT you, determine NOW that you will strive to be unselfish and work hard to have a good attitude through all of the chaos because the people you love are more important than your own comfort, getting to bed on time, or getting everything you want. You can make a decision not to be ruled by your emotions but instead to rule over your emotions by making a decision to be thankful for the opportunities that the holidays present.
2. Take part in Christmas traditions while remembering the reason for the traditions. God gave the Israelites annual feasts and celebrations that they were to use as a reminder of His faithfulness and provision. He may not have handed us a list of Christmas traditions in the same way, but I would encourage you to consider the purpose behind the traditions you keep. How can you lean into the purpose? We make Christmas cookies…not because we need the cookies or the calories but because we need time together. We need to laugh together as a family. We need to do things that purposefully pull us together when the world and the demands of our schedules tend to pull us apart.
3. Focus on making memories with your family and friends. One of my favorite verses of Scripture is John 13:35. Jesus told His disciples that the world around us will know us (believers) by the way we love one another. When you love someone, they feel special. They feel like they are on the “inside.” Lean into the activities and events that make your church feel like family, that remind you of how much you love (and need) one another. At home and with extended family, make it a point to try to have a meaningful conversation with as many people as possible. Look for ways to learn about them, to encourage them in their faith and walk with the Lord, and share the gospel in word and in deed.
4. And, of course, take time to worship. If you want to make the most of the Christmas season (and hopefully de-stress in the middle of the busy-ness), don’t forget to pray and to stay in the Word. Read the Christmas story together with your guests. Find Christmas songs that remind you of the real meaning of Christmas and drop them into your playlist. Pray together as a family. Pray silently as you enter stressful family gatherings. Look for opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers. Take the time to serve those who are in need financially or emotionally.
5. And finally, take the focus off yourself. (That’s kind of been the point of this whole list!) Make this Christmas about loving God and loving others. Pray and seek the Lord. Ask Him to show you how you can bless Him and bless others this Christmas. Pray that you will be so full of His presence that others will notice Him shining through you.

The fact that the Christmas season rolls around every year reminds us of the passage of time. It always makes me a little wistful and contemplative. I think back over imperfect Christmas after imperfect Christmas with the rose-colored glasses that my age provides. And I am reminded that this Christmas doesn’t have to measure up to the perfect “Clark Griswold” holiday I have in mind. God willing, we will get another chance next year, and the next. So, this Christmas, I will lean into gratefulness for the amazing love of the one true God who left the throne and entered our lowly world in order that we might one day be able to enter His glory. And, I will strive to love others with a godly kind of love that points them to my Savior and Lord. And, yes, Christmas will still be busy, and I will be tired. But it will be so worth it!

Author: Jerry Welch is the Family Discipleship Pastor at Colonial Heights Baptist Church in Ridgeland, MS and Executive Director of The Timothy Project.