I know what you're thinking.There's NO such thing as a stress-free holiday!It's so easy to believe that. We all know that the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas is jam packed with cookie exchanges, school programs, Santa visits, family functions, office parties, and on and on and on.If you're one of those people who doesn't operate well in high stress environments and goes into the Holiday season with a plastered smile trying to make everything and everyone happy, while inwardly you're feeling overwhelmed and burned out, I get you.While it might not be possible to put a halt to all the activities and just stroll thru December, we can at least have some tools for managing the stress and actually ENJOYING this sweet season!For starters, let go of expectations. These always have a way of getting me into trouble. My secret weapon for any situation is to identify my expectations (especially with my kiddos) and let them go before they try to ruin everything. Maybe your expectations revolve around finishing a to-do list within a certain time frame. Give yourself grace on grace, friend! I've always put a lot of time and energy into wrapping gifts but this year we have had so many other things going on that the presents might not have bows! Who cares? There's always next year. Stop with the guilt over not doing enough and just enjoy the present moment... even if it's messy!Remember to take time to reflect. My favorite thing to do around Christmas time is to wake up before anyone else (not easy to do!) and go sit in front of the Christmas tree. I don't journal or read. I don't take my phone with me. I just sit and soak and it's glorious. It's my way of being centered. It allows me to just slow down in the midst of the craziness and be still. In the same way that the Bible says Mary "treasured up all these things in her heart" concerning the birth of our Savior, let's take time to treasure things in our hearts as well.This next one is a tough one, but I think it might be the most important one. Say NO. Part of the reason we get ourselves into such a Christmastime tizzy is because we are so over committed. I love carving out nights at home where we have nothing going on. Some times this means we don't go to the Sunday School Christmas party. Sorry, guys! There are certain things we really must attend, but if there's anything we can cut out, we will do it! Try to resist the urge to be everywhere and simplify as much as possible in any area you can.Another thing I love doing is trying to turn seemingly stressful activities into fun events. For instance, wrapping gifts can be super overwhelming (especially in my family of seven siblings and 12 nieces and nephews!). So light your candles, build a fire, turn on a Christmas movie, get all your supplies organized and get it done. If you find yourself in the car a lot going here and there, turn it into a game of who can spot the Christmas lights. We talk a lot in our family about finding the bright spots. But in order to find bright spots, you have to be looking for them.I hope thinking through some of these ideas will help you to get yourself a little more grounded. I won't pretend that I've got it all figured out and I'm constantly having to remind myself to take my own advice! But while we can't control all the stress that comes our way, we can control how we respond to it. So take a deep breath, sweet friend, and take time to rejoice in this season of Hope.
By Laura Godfrey
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