Cultivating Meaning at Christmas

Leading up to the marathon called the holiday season, I’ll be sharing three things I do every year to help me enjoy the season, celebrate intentionally, and linger with God. Last week I shared about communication, so be sure to look for the previous post.

As a new mom, everything was overwhelming. Every simple task—from buttoning the baby into the car seat to buttoning the snaps of a onesie before putting on the pants—everything became a treacherous mountain to conquer. Getting through the holiday season at the end of the year was the most daunting slope of all.

But I didn’t want to “just get through” the holidays. I love the pumpkin festivities of Halloween, the coziness of Thanksgiving, and the joy of anticipating Jesus’ arrival at Christmas. I didn’t want to do more, but what I did want was more strategic purpose. Instead of Christmas happening to me, I wanted to savor the season.

At the end of October that year I had the fight preventive conversation with my husband (read about that here), I slowed down to cultivate what Christmas could be for my family. With a wintry candle lit, a tasty cup of coffee, and the free “Less Doing, More Meaning” Christmas planner from Diana Kokku, I got to planning. The planner allowed me to map out all the practicals of Christmas: budget, gifts, how to bless others, menu possibilities, to-do lists, and a calendar of events. What made this time special was the guiding questions to help me think through the why and how to celebrate Christmas. I reflected on my guiding values, things to opt out of, how to incorporate the Nativity into my home, a plan to connect with the most important people in my life, and a way to center God in the midst of it all.

It took me roughly an hour and a half to go through the planner, and at the end, I had a road map that could be tweaked as needed. Once I knew what my priorities were, I was confident in saying yes or no to opportunities. Because the planner is faith-based, it always led me back to making Jesus the focus of Christmas. Christmas was no longer an overwhelming checklist, and behind everything we were doing was intentionality.

Culture is loud; the fight for our time and our money is intense, and we need a consistent reminder of why we celebrate. When we cultivate a purposeful plan at Christmas, the plan becomes boundaries within which we can play; ultimately, it becomes a celebration of the God who generously came to be with us. I look forward to my time of cultivation every year because I see it as a way to point my family to Jesus, as well as a way of offering my worship to my Savior. May this season find us less hurried and more connected to the One who loves us so. Let it be.