Do You Have a Naughty or Nice Christmas Checklist?
Tackling the frenzy of the season
She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. (Luke 2:7, NLT)
The very first Christmas was simplistic. A man, Joseph, and his espoused wife, Mary, headed to Bethlehem for the imposed census by the government. Now, the daunting thing about this was that Mary was big and pregnant, and when they finally reached their destination, she was feeling the pains of birth. Also, all the hotels were full. This particular night had its glitches and issues.
In a cowstall, Mary gave birth to her first child, Jesus.
Since that very first night, what we now call Christmas has evolved into a full-scale celebration. Pies, cookies, cakes, blow-up yard decorations, lights, trimmed trees, gifts galore, even to the pets, cards, concerts, and travels put one in the mood for irritability and a frenzy.
These are typical words we hear during Christmas: merry, peaceful, happy, joyful, jolly, cheer, and goodwill. But for many, Christmas can be just the opposite of these terms.
It can be a time when many sink into deep depression. The days are shorter, and so are the pocketbooks. The only thing brimming over is a barrage of commitments.
Let’s look again at that first Christmas.
(Luke 2:11-12, NLT) says,
The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.
Our sign is that we need to follow in His humble footsteps and focus on things more critically important. He tells us not to be anxious about anything, so maybe we could scale down all the things that give us anxiety and cast all our cares on Him. That’s what He wants anyway. We impart to Christ our hearts; He will fill us with peace, love, and joy.
We can still do the Christmas things that give us pleasure. It’s always good to show love to others, but when all the activities become a burden, we let God draw the line on our Christmas reality checklist.
Our checklist is naughty if we allow things and commitments to make us crabby, anxious, fearful, and emotionally and financially spent.
Do we need to bake 50 different cookies?
Is it necessary to decorate our yard to the hilt?
Is it essential to send our 100 Christmas cards?
Must you attend every concert, play, and event?
Do you go into debt to buy and buy and buy?
Decide what is meaningful to you or what brings you joy. Fulfilling some Christmas things isn’t bad, but if you overdo it out of a need to stroke your ego, it’s a naughty list.
The nice list is this:
First, focus on Christ and what He has done for you.
Second, Give your heart in love, gentleness, and forgiveness.
Third, remember to be kind to yourself. Do what you can, and don’t fret over what the other person does. It’s not supposed to be a contest.
Fourth, be at peace.
Could we still have Christmas without Christmas having us?
We can when we remove the frenzy and replace it with balance. It will calm and bring back a song in our hearts and joy to our world.
