How to Make the Most of This Christmas

While some of you absolutely love this time of year, others of you dread it. For some, it brings back hurting memories and it feels physically and emotionally draining.But whether you love the season or hate it, it is here nonetheless. So why not make Christmas special? Change those memories, and transform the drain into a boost. You can make the most of Christmas and turn it into a delight.Some of you lost loved ones during the Christmas season. I understand that. My dad passed away the day before Thanksgiving while he was getting dressed to come to our house to celebrate the weekend with us. Now when my family gathers on Thanksgiving, we eventually move the conversation to Dad and the things we remember about him. It hasn’t stolen the holiday. It’s made it more special. You can do that too. Why not turn it around and use the season to celebrate your loved one and bring back precious memories.Regardless of what’s in the past, you can make this Christmas special.For starters, minimize the stress. Get your calendar out right now and plan how you will celebrate and where. Don’t obligate yourself to every family gathering. I know, some may get offended. But they’ll get over it if you handle them with grace and encouragement, and you’ll be able to enjoy future Christmases more if you set boundaries now. Then pull out a sheet of paper and write down a Christmas budget that you can afford without it the stress of debt. Far too much is made of the “magic of Christmas” that we talk about, when in reality, we are encouraging greed in our children. Let’s minimize that along with the guilt of overspending.Instead, let’s steer our families towards others, with special Christmas projects. There are numerous organizations in our community that give gifts to hurting families and they need volunteers to wrap and deliver gifts. Maybe involve your whole family in taking on a missions project or buying gifts for children in foster homes or a struggling family in our church or your neighborhood. Contact the Pacific Garden Mission to learn what projects you as a family can be involved with.Make the most of Christmas cards. Sending them out can be stressful, I know. So maybe just send a few notes to some people who would be blessed with encouragement. And then how about purposefully praying for each of the families who send you cards. Since our children were small, we’ve always set aside a couple of evenings in the days that lead up to Christmas to pray for the people who sent us cards.Worship on Christmas Eve. We have three powerful services planned and they will bless you! But don’t stop there. Schedule time to read and talk about different aspects of the Christmas story. And look for people at church or your neighborhood who will be alone, and include them in your gathering. Be like Jesus for his birthday celebration!This Christmas season is already upon us and it will soon be a memory. Let’s make it a special one.