Christmas 1: Thinking early, Planning well

Jesus and Christmas –

thinking early, planning well

It’s not too early to begin thinking about how to make the most of Christmas for Christ.

21 questions to ask now so we make the most of Christ at Christmas:

1.   What things about Christmas as it is celebrated can I simply accept?  What things will I choose to consciously reject?  What can I redeem?

2.   Have I decided what and who my priorities are at Christmas and planned my time and money to be spent on them?

3.   What are the family traditions I want to build on, or introduce?  How will I do that this year?

4.   How will the advent calendar work?

5.   Have I remembered what caused upset last year and worked to rectify it this year?  Have I remembered what caused us joy last year and will include again this year?

6.   How will I read about Jesus (and read about him to the children) to get ready for Christmas?

7.   What’s the plan for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day – who’ll be relaxing and who’ll be exhausted?

8.   In what ways can I create special Christmas memories, especially for my children?

9.   How, when, with what are we decorating the house?  Who’s doing it?

10.        How will I make memories not just give gifts?

11.        If you have a partner, how will I bring some joyful surprises into their Christmas, beyond a brought gift – a special date, a carefully written letter, a favorite meal, a rare evening snuggled in front of a film? 

12.        If you have children, how will I bring some joyful surprises into their Christmas, beyond a brought gift – a one-on-one afternoon of fun, a family sleep-over all in one room, a special letter remembering key moments from the year?

13.        How can I be generous to those outside of my family and friends?

14.        Have I come to conclusions about how I/we will ‘do’ presents, decorations, food, hospitality, travel and planned how to make those intentions reality?

15.        How am I going to make sure Christ is not an obscured figure, hidden behind turkey and stockings and baubles, but the central figure that all the Christmas trappings point toward?

16.        If you have children, what will I tell them about Father Christmas – is he real; is he pretend; is he pretend-real (the twilight area that exists in children’s imaginations till around 5)?  How could I make Father Christmas into someone who shows my children what God is like (the giver of generous gifts)?

17.        How will I have a break over Christmas – pause, relax, chill?  How can I help my partner to pause and relax?

18.        Have I booked the time off work I’d like to have?  Have I booked to spend good (quality and quantity) time with those closest to me?

19.        Have I thought about ways of blessing someone this Christmas who I might not normally think about, or who might be facing a rather empty Christmas experience?

20.        How could I use Christmas not just to accumulate more stuff but simplify life?  What will the children and I give away and not just get?

21.        What one extra person could I squeeze round the table this year who otherwise might be alone?

And four things to not do:

1. Don’t be a stressed out party-pooper.

Don’t be so uptight and task-focused that no one, including your spouse and children, want to be near. Children are naturally joyful.  Borrow some of their joy and have fun. Be someone who brings joy not steals it.

2. Don’t be all about the presents (or the food or the decorations or the games).

Don’t be so concerned with giving the perfect gifts that failure or success here makes or breaks your Christmas.  On the other end of the spectrum, don’t be so obsessed with receiving gifts that you don’t give generously. Make your giving and receiving like God’s giving of Jesus and our receiving of him – joyful and glad.

3. If it’s painful, try not to hold on to the past.

Don’t let history ruin this year. Many holidays are hard reminders of loneliness, of financial pressures, or unresolved family tension. This year can, by God’s grace, be different.

4. Don’t forget Jesus.

It is his birthday that we are celebrating at Christmas—not Father Christmas, gifts, trees, shopping (or January sales), snow, turkey, or parties. None of those things are bad if we remember Jesus first.

I’ll be adding some blog posts about Christmas over the next month and welcome your input, thoughts, questions, ideas about making the most of Christmas.  What questions do you have?  What have you done that has worked well?  Email me: pastoralexharris@gmail.com or comment below. 

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