The anticipation is building as the Christmas season comes to it’s climax. I don’t know about you, but this month sure flew by for our family. Lights and gifts and gatherings and cookies. It has been magical and overwhelming and lovely and exhausting and perfectly imperfect. And there’s still a whole lot left.
If you’re like me, the next few weeks are some of your favorite. The time together. The slowness. The rush. The birth of our Savior. It’s all so good. But, sometimes I can let the hiccups and last minute whatevers get in the way of being truly present and enjoying this week and the week that follows. Today I want to share 5 things I’m going to try to enjoy this week.
5 Ways to Enjoy this Week
Prepare.
This seems a little annoyingly obvious. I get it. But, what if we do a few things in the next day or two to prepare for this weekend. What if we prep Christmas breakfast or finish wrapping the gifts or get an extra hour or two of sleep so we are ready for the 5 a.m. wake up on Saturday morning?
What is one thing you can prepare now to make sure you’re more present, rested, and ready for the rest of the week?
Do one thing that makes Christmas feel like Christmas.
What makes Christmas feel like Christmas to you? Is it baking cookies with your kids? Sitting in the quiet enjoying the Christmas tree? Driving around to look at lights? Watching a certain Christmas movie? Whatever it is, make time for it this week.
For me, watching a Christmas movie with some peppermint hot chocolate makes it feel like Christmas. A few days this week I am going to forego my to-do list in honor of making Christmas feel like Christmas.
What can you do in the next few days to make Christmas feel like Christmas?
Reminisce.
For many of us, Christmas is a time to be nostalgic or reminisce about times past. Take a moment to remember and to celebrate or grieve the past. Or maybe a bit of both. Maybe this means flipping through pictures on your phone or in a memory book. Maybe it means calling up your Grandma to chat. Or maybe it simply means quietly reflecting and remembering. Reminiscing can bring a lot of feelings to the surface, which can sometimes be hard. But, I believe acknowledging them allows for growth, reflection, and making the most of this Christmas season.
I like to look through pictures of Christmases past with our kids. They love flipping through their memory books and Christmas is the perfect time to slow down one evening and do it by the tree.
How can you find time to reminisce? There’s value in doing this both alone or with a friend or family group. How will you reminisce this year?
Embrace.
There is going to be a whole lot of joy this week. And there also might be a whole lot of disappointments, meltdowns, and what-in-the-worlds. Try to embrace it. All of it. I’m preaching to my own little heart choir here. Let’s embrace the hard and unflattering and annoying. Let’s let go of all the shoulds and go with the right nows. As we walk through our everyday Christmas moments, how can we embrace the mess and imperfect moments? How can we walk with our people through the disappointments and (dare I say) temper tantrums?
This week my mantra is Embrace. I am a realist and know this week won’t be perfect. It will be messy because I am an imperfect human living with five other imperfect humans. But they are my humans and I want to be here with them, in the mess and beauty and miracle of celebrating the birth of our Savior. This week I want to be present and embrace all of it.
Don’t forget the sprinkles.
This week comes around once a year, friends. Let’s not hold back on celebrating. I believe there is always reason to celebrate, but with Christmas there is no question. Bring out the sprinkles. Get out the whipped cream. Stay up late. Go to bed early. Let the kids eat cookies for breakfast. Make a four course meal. Have a movie marathon. Hello The Family Stone. Stay in pajamas all day. Get fancy and dressed up. Whatever matters, really matters, do it this week. Pour sprinkles on all of it because this is a special, magical time of year.
This is the only Christmas ever I will have a nine year old, seven year old, four year old, and two year old under my roof. I don’t want to forget that. I’m planning on doing all the things that matter to us this week. Movies and pajamas and lights and {extra} cookies and time together. The sprinkles will not be sparse.
What matters to you and your people? How can you add sprinkles to this week?
I love this time of year and am grateful I get to spend it with the people I love the most. How will you enjoy this week?