So many peple try to find the meaning of Christmas. Some think it is a feeling or a spirit. We get caught up in the packages and bows, parties, and shopping. This is the worst time of the year for depression, because so many people have this idea of Christmas as a Currier & Ives painting.
Many people get so stressed out that they become depressed and Christmas has NO meaning at all. They feel like Cindy Lou Who from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas movie. They are desperately trying to find Christmas.
I’ve tried to compile a list of potential things that happen at this time of year which may contribute to increased stress during the holiday season. See if any of these ring a bell, no holiday pun intended.
• Shopping for gifts
• Getting to the necessary holiday parties
• Putting up the decorations
• Cooking a meal
• Wrapping the gifts
• Making enough cookies and breads to give away
• Buying a tree
• Fighting the traffic
• Having enough money to buy gifts
• (If married) Figuring out when to celebrate at both sets of parents without offending either
• All the stores are out of the gift you’re looking for
• Three frightening words – Some assembly required
• Having the right clothes for social occasions
• Gaining weight
• Christmas programs for the kids at school and at church
• Untangling the strands of lights
• Sending out Christmas cards
• Hearing “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” for the 150th time
• Cleaning the house
• Forgetting someone for whom you should have purchased a gift
• Feeling the pressure to make a memory
• Knowing the year is coming to a close and you didn’t accomplish what you intended to
• Facing relatives you don’t get along with
• All of your work is due on a rapidly approaching December 25 deadline
• Knowing that maybe you’ll spend Christmas alone
• Three often overlooked words – batteries not included
• Being a part of a family that celebrates separately because of a divorce
• Christmas lights that won’t work
• Arranging travel schedules
• Missing loved ones who have passed away
• Paying off the credit cards
• Weeding through crowded stores
• Members of your family who find where you hid their presents.
I believe the cure to holiday stress lies in making wise choices and decisions
How can we simply focus on what is needed?
Here’s a good place to start:
For instance, if it’s really stressing you out, do you absolutely have to make those special cookies that take a whole afternoon to make?Or, do you absolutely have to put up all the lights on the house that you did last year?
Then…
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3
State your expectations up front (What is the main thing that needs to happen this Christmas?)
Plan ahead
Share the load with others (other family members can help)
Lighten the calendar (Which events are optional?)
Respect your budget (Have you determined how much you will spend before you go shopping?)
Christ – spending personal time with Him and worshiping Him at church
Spouse – make a date night in December
Family – Don’t neglect them for what seem like other obligations.You’ll regret it later in life, and you honor Christ by honoring your family.
Closest friends who feel like family
Look for the spiritual dimension in everything (house cleaning is like preparing our hearts for Christ to welcome him, gift-giving is like the wise men giving to Christ, the colors of the holiday season, etc.)
Don’t forget those who are less fortunate than you are. Those who may be spending the holiday alone. those who have recently lost a love one. All needs are not just financial, but many times during this season are emotional and spiritual. Make yourself available to someone else this season. Don’t be selfish – it will come back to haunt you.