I love to prepare for Christmas. With four kids and their loved ones staying at our home for multiple days, with all the event planning, menu making, gift buying, card sending, and present wrapping, Christmas isn’t just an ordinary game. It’s my Super Bowl.

But for the first year in the several decades that I have hosted Christmas, all of that has to go out the undecorated window. About six months ago, I came down with long COVID — and everything in our lives changed. For some reason, in the back of my mind, I thought I’d get a pass for Christmas celebrations. But my body said no — that has to go into the bucket of everything else you can’t do like you’ve always done.

So this year, capacity is lower. But Christmas isn’t canceled; it’s clarified.

It’s amazing how I’ve let holiday traditions and expectations start out innocently enough. “That looks fun!” or “But we’ve always done it that way!” I walked down the path of other people’s perfection and let those prickly burrs hitch a ride on me, and I can’t seem to brush them off.

As I wallow in my own despair of things not being the way I dreamed, I need to keep reminding myself that the first Christmas wasn’t hosted. It was announced and received.

And this year, we will do the same. We’re trading performance for presence.

Luke 2:10–11 (NIV) says, “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’”

The angel announced the presence of God, and that is what we are going to celebrate —  the nonnegotiable aspects of Christmas:

• Faith: Big corporations do everything they can to pull our hearts away from Christ and center them on buying our way into relationships with those around us. It takes a huge amount of focus to concentrate on Jesus in this season as the reason to celebrate. The way we can do that is to focus on how Jesus behaved, and then follow His model. Giving to those in need, feeding the poor. Yes, going to church and worshiping is part of it, but in this season of pressure and performance, we honor Him by choosing presence over presents — quiet service, shared tables, simple worship.
• Joy: When life is at its most difficult, joy is an act of resistance. We not only find the small things that bring us joy, but we also do the small things that will invite joy into someone else’s life as well.
• People: In this season of cart filling and calendar cramming, we keep it holy by doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly — one simple act at a time. One person at a time.

So what does that look like in practical ways?

• Faith: Focus on one simple practice. It might look different for you than for us. My family will center our worship on Scripture reading and a short prayer. Others may concentrate on sponsoring a meal or serving at an event for the community. Whatever way faith plays out in your Christmas season, gratitude for the coming of our Savior, rather than society’s expectations, should drive your worship.
• Joy: Plan one moment that sparks delight. Our favorite is a drive to see Christmas lights. We start off with In-N-Out Burger, then follow the map we’ve created for the best lights in town. For the grand finish, we’ll end with hot chocolate from a local coffee shop. We’ve been doing this basic routine for twenty years, and it’s the highlight of our season. We also make a couple of our family’s favorite desserts to keep the joy in our celebration. (Cranberry-white chocolate-macadamia nut cookies, anyone?) Others may want to plan Christmas caroling around their neighborhoods, see a live show, or snuggle up at home with a favorite Christmas movie and a bucket of popcorn. (Add red and green M&M’s to make it festive!)
• People: Loving your people often looks like time spent together, even doing simple activities. Our family will play board games and talk and watch old reruns of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (always guaranteed to make the whole family laugh). There will also be plenty of rest so that we are all our best selves during our time together. Others may work on jigsaw puzzles, crafts, or have epic snowball fights. If you have little ones in your family, playing with newly unwrapped toys is also a big hit. Whether you’re with family or with friends who are like family, you’ll want to make wonderful memories by spending quality time with them.

A Blessing for a Simple Time

May the God who announced joy over a quiet field announce it over your quiet home. May what’s small be sacred, what’s simple be sufficient, and what’s present be more than enough.

If you’d like extra support this holiday season, get our free workshop and workbook, “Your Least Cluttered Christmas Ever.” You can watch the workshop and download the free workbook at kathi.link/holiday.

 

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