don't Survive Christmas celebrate it

Don’t Survive Christmas — Celebrate It!

don't Survive Christmas celebrate it

 

 

How’s your tank doing? Full, halfway, or on fumes? It’s the end of the year, a time of celebration and holiday cheer. But it’s also a time that we feel stressed, rushed, and pressured to live a picture-perfect holiday fantasy.

 

December used to be a magical month we waited for all year, and we still get excited when it finally makes its entrance, but as we get older, December can also be a stark reminder of how overstretched, under-funded, and totally “on empty” we have let ourselves get this year.

 

Even if 2018 has gone pretty smoothly for you, you’re still not immune to overdoing it in December. We allow ourselves to get caught in the current of Christmas hype and become consumed with having the perfect holiday. It’s OK to want to make lasting memories and continue traditions, but not at the expense of your relationships with others… and your sanity.

 

Or maybe 2018 has gone exactly the opposite of what you had hoped. You’re looking back on the last eleven months and wondering what went wrong or what you could have done to prevent circumstances from snowballing. You’ve arrived at the end of the year and you feel behind, guilty, and overall depressed with how you’re closing out 2018. Christmas cheer seems impossibly out of reach. You want to enjoy this fleeting time of celebration, but your mind and heart are too weighed down with disappointment and grief over what this year hasn’t brought you.

 

“Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” – Psalm 55:22

 

Burnout happens. Disappointment happens. Grief happens. Guilt happens. Frustration happens. We could go on, but instead, we’ll remind you that you haven’t gone through this past year alone. It may have felt like you did, but your Father has been with you, making sure you didn’t completely slip and fall. And He will continue to be with you this month.

 

Instead of viewing December as a time to rush and buy and cook and host, view it as a time to quiet your mind and reflect on what God has done for you and through you this year. Even if you come up with a short list, it’s still a list that deserves celebration. Learn how to give yourself (and others) the gift of peace and contentment this Christmas season by joining us on the blog this month.

 

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