With Christmas in a week, we are all rushing to finish shopping, wrapping, planning the meal, and well, just rushing. The end goal is the celebration on Christmas Eve and Day. With all this planning and preparing we want it to be perfect, magical even. Ideally that is the goal, but in reality with that vision, we set ourselves up for disappointment. Life is not perfect. And if that is our focus, we are missing the entire point of Christmas-the celebration of the birth of Christ! “For on to us a Child is born.”
The true spirit of Christmas is the gift we received from the birth of Christ. By giving presents to each other, we give joy and hope. But then along comes “Uncle Eddie.” Clark saw through all the mishaps and sought to share that joy with everyone. Let me share a few tips that might help you!
- Don’t seek perfection. Seek being present. Enjoy the people present. Cherish the memories that are being created.
- Have an extra, unexpected guest? Have a couple things that can be given to anyone: a candle, gift card, etc.
- Make sure you are taking care of yourself. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you drinking water? Are you giving yourself a “timeout” when you are stressed?
- When you are stressed, STOP! Literally Stop and take a pause. Take several deep breaths. Observe you body-your heart rate, your breathing, any tension. Purposely bring your attention to the Present and away from the stressful triggers.
- When everyone is gathered, do not bring up family tensions. This isn’t the time. Whether it be politics, religion, parenting, or whatever is the challenge within your family, save those discussion for another day. Keep the conversations light and cheerful.
- I can’t say this enough, Be Present in the moment and seek the joy!
May your path bring you all the joy that Christmas time offers.