Stress-Free Christmas Planning
Is it possible to have a stress-free Christmas season?
For some – okay, for me! – the Christmas season begins earlier than for others. Confession time: I’ve been playing Christmas carols for a few weeks now. I just can’t get enough of the season!
Yup, I’m one of those people. “Hi, my name is Ava and I’m a Christmasphile.” In case you’re wondering, a Christmasphile is someone who is head-over-heels enamored with all things Christmas. We’re out there…singing along to Christmas carols in the car, humming to the canned Christmas music in Walmart, taking a deep whiff — cough, cough—of the cinnamon-scented brooms in the supermarket.
But Christmasphiles everywhere share a common enemy. That enemy is time. There’s so much we want to do, and never enough time to do it all. Bake, wrap, decorate, host—how do we fit it all in?
Being a good steward of our time means making time for the important things first. It requires knowing the difference between the important and the urgent—and I promise, they are not always the same. If we lose sight of the true reason for the season – the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ – then we’ve lost our reason to celebrate.
But even if we remember that the whole point of Christmas is the birth of the One who came to die for us, this season can still become one huge to-do list – with every bit of joy ripped from us.
So, for those who love Christmas, but still hope to hold on to a shred of their sanity as December 25th approaches, I offer a gift: a link to Marcia Ramsland’s free holiday charts, updated for 2015.
After you click on the link, scroll to the bottom of the page for the free resources. You’ll have the opportunity to download:
1. Free Holiday Season Calendar
2. Your Personal Holiday Plan
3. The Master Gift List
Together, these three resources will help you minimize the stress while retaining the joy of this often challenging time of the year.
Who knows? By the time Thanksgiving arrives, you may actually be looking forward to celebrating the reason for the season…and you’ll have a very Merry Christmas!