1 Peter 5:7 – Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Gratitude Day 915

One evening this week, I went into a store to pick up a few things. As soon as I walked inside, it looked like Christmas had exploded inside the store. Well, maybe honestly, barfed everywhere. It seemed like every aisle, every bit of the store, was geared towards Christmas.

Except for one little table. Towards the back of the store, there sat a lonely table with just a few fall and Thanksgiving decorations on it with like two packages of napkins with turkeys on them. Plus, a huge “SALE!” sign.

Here we are. Days before Thanksgiving. For all practical purposes, the retail side of our society has already made the holiday intended for us to be thankful and to count our blessings all but a footnote. A little blip that only focuses on the sale price of fall flowers. Hopefully, you have already purchased napkins if you are hosting Thanksgiving dinner. Otherwise, you might have to rush to the back of store and find the hidden table with the last packages of unwanted napkins still on it.

Let’s be real. Holidays are often stressful enough. Multiple people have already shared with me their discomfort of gathering with family members who see the political world differently than they do. What should they do if an uncomfortable topic comes up; one they don’t want to talk about? It’s a very real question. Honestly, I do not think these conversations should ever be held at a holiday gathering. Check these conversations at the door. Leave them in the car. Agree that there will be no discussion about anything that even hints at creating an environment other than good cheer and celebrating the meaning behind the holidays.

On the flip side, I was at the library one day this week. An older couple walked through where I was seated, chatting about their upcoming travel plans. The man said to the woman, “This is going to be the best holiday season ever!” I LOVED his enthusiasm. His optimism. His desire to have the next few weeks be joy-filled and great. I wanted to capture it and put it in a bottle and shower it over all of you like confetti.

So, consider this my little confetti shower on you and your family. Some ideas of how you can navigate the next few weeks in such a way that you can thoroughly enjoy these days. I pray that some of these little suggestions will be meaningful and help you guide you and your family through the holidays. So here are my best Holiday Survival Tips.

Remember WHY we are celebrating this holiday.
While it may seem Captain Obvious to keep this at the front of the holiday season, once the holiday train gets rolling, it may get left behind on the tracks. Thanksgiving is to appreciate our blessings. We celebrate Christmas as the birthday of the Christ Child. Everything else is extra.

While making cookies, decorating the tree and shopping for presents are looooooooooooong standing traditions, are they required? It’s your choice. Pick and choose the things that you do and participate in that will be deeply meaningful for you and your family. Embrace the traditions that you want your kids and grandkids to remember and maybe even continue.

The rest? Purely optional. Pick your why now. And use this to help you decide what you WANT to do. There are plenty of things we may feel we NEED to do. But there is a big difference between need and want. Focus on the wants first.

Right-Size Your Expectations.
Will every celebration look like it came out of a Hallmark movie? No. And it’s best to realize this now.

For the last number of years, Hubby Rick and I have set our low expectations surrounding the holidays. This way, we are amazed when things go beyond what we hoped for. I think right-size expectations is more helpful than low. Either way, when your expectations are more realistic, it doesn’t feel so disappointing when things go array.

Right-size expectations may mean not everyone is together. Or only for an hour or two. It might mean being creative and choosing times and dates that are flexible. Sometimes it’s hard to juggle everyone’s schedule, feelings, desires. When we right-size our expectations, we recover more quickly when things don’t work out. Yes, we will still be disappointed but I also believe we keep a better perspective.

Create Special Moments.
Rather than trying to jam everything in, pick one or two very special things. Make these special. Unique. Meaningful.

Hubby Rick and I often comment how much we enjoy one-on-one time with our grandchildren. They feel special. We feel less scurried. Special memories are implanted into brains. This only happens when we create these moments.

Watch a favorite holiday movie together. (My favorite? The Sound of Music. I know. It’s not really a holiday movie but every year, it shows up on the TV schedule.) Go for a walk after a meal. Play silly games. Have a hot chocolate bar. Make smores inside or outside. You come up with your own special cherished moments.

Some of our favorite holiday memories involve something silly that happened and has become a cherished moment. Relax. Enjoy. Take mental pictures of these moments that you can remember later.

Use What You Have.
Most of us have plenty enough “things” to celebrate the holidays. Or we can borrow from someone else. It is not a requirement to keep accumulating more and more things. Use what you have. Share with others what you aren’t using this year rather than hanging onto it. I realize that it’s fun to pick up a couple things. And get groceries. But be intentional about what you get. You probably have much of what you need already.

Create Space Where You Can Simply Be Together.
Drive around and look at Christmas lights. Walk through a fantastic light display. Watch the snow fall. Ring the bells for the red kettle. Work at a food distribution. Pick out presents together for a local giving tree. Go to a free local holiday concert.

None of these things have to cost anything. There are lots of wonderful and local opportunities to appreciate the reasons for the seasons. Pick a couple of these things to do now; before your calendars get full. Make dates. Do them.

Use an Advent Devotion.
There are lots of resources for these. Books, online, etc. Kate Bowler does a free annual Advent Devotion and is one I really enjoy. You can sign-up for it here: https://katebowler.com/seasonal_devotional/the-weary-world-rejoices/

These next few weeks can whiz right by. Yet, I pray that you will embrace these days. Make them meaningful. Special. For you and your family.

Advent begins next Sunday. I’m putting together some special affirmations and devotionals around the subject of WONDER. I’ll share more next Saturday. Please be looking forward to it!

For tips and ideas of how to make this holiday season meaningful and special, I am very grateful.
Blessings –
Dianne
Holy God – As the holidays creep up on us, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with all of our expectations of ourselves. Help us to step back. Rethink what is most important and create meaningful holidays traditions and moments this year. Help us to have right-sized expectations. May we try embrace the reasons for the seasons and let this be our guide as we plan these next few weeks. Amen.

Looking for a bit of daily inspiration? Check out my daily affirmation posts on Facebook (Dianne Deaton Vielhuber and Simple Words of Faith) or on Instagram (diannedeatonvielhuber.)

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