Simplifying the Season
“Oh Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ The Lord.”
When my friend Justine from Little Dove Blog asked me to contribute to her series “Simplifying the Season” I was totally on board. The only problem I had was deciding what I wanted to focus on to help people keep the holidays simple and Christ centered. So I took to the streets and asked on my social media pages what was stressing everyone out about the season. Here is what I heard…
-A lot of people, especially mom’s, have a hard time wanting to create all these magical moments with their families while still managing to do the everyday household chores. How is it possible to decorate the house, bake the cookies, frost the gingerbread house, buy all the gifts, plan the family get togethers, work parties, school parties, take pictures with Santa, order Christmas cards (which means you had to get a picture with everyone looking at the camera), address them, then actually get them out in the mail, AND still clean the house, do the laundry and cook a meal?
-Many people say that the expectations they feel are most often from themselves. They feel the need to have this perfect Christmas; find the perfect tree, the perfect gifts, take the perfect family photo, etc…Trying to create this picture perfect Christmas is the most stressful part for them.
Overwhelmed by the holiday's? Here are some great ideas on simplifying the season. Click To Tweet-And for lots I heard about the struggle of finances. How much to budget for gifts for your family, extended family, friends, co-workers. The stress of money was weighing on the minds of many of my friends.
-Even the stress of traveling on the holidays is a big concern. The expense and stress of flying or the exhausting eight hour drive to Grandma’s house is a bit overwhelming.
So today I am going to share some articles written by a few other bloggers that have written amazing, helpful tips to help you during the holiday season to keep things simple and stress-free. Whatever category you fall under I hope you will take a minute (maybe go on a long bathroom break) to read and contemplate how you can refocus the season to what matters most, what ever that is for you and your family.
If it means hiring a cleaning service for the month of December to eliminate the house cleaning, I say do it (or have your kids help out more, especially since Santa is watching, wink, wink)! If it means having your dinner delivered to your doorstep, do it (I highly suggest SunBasket, it is healthy, fresh, organic meals sent directly to you with no hassle)! If it means sending out New Year’s cards, instead of Christmas cards, do it, or don’t do cards at all if it means more time spent with your family. Here are a few more ideas on simplifying the season…
-From Working Mommy Abroad is this guest post from Rebecca Cofino about 6 Sanity Saving Holiday Tips. Which includes learning to say “no.” A great read!
-From Sara of Get Mom Balanced comes a fantastic article about Cutting Yourself Some Slack during the holidays. I think we could all stand to give ourselves a bit more grace, don’t you?
-For those of you in need of some travel help this packing list by Megan from Growing Up Zee is perfect!
-Here is a FANTASTIC article from Mamaguru on How to Organize Holiday Baking plus a free baking guide. If you are going to bake, you definitely need to check this out!
-And for all of you needing help with your budget here is a great read from Only Girl 4 Boyz on How to Save Big on Christmas Gifts this year.
-Then from Baby Caston on Board is how to Stick to your holiday budget. This is a great list!
In the end I think Two Best Friends in Love Blog said it best. When finding out how to simplify the season…ask yourself these 3 questions, and if you can’t say a firm yes to at least two of them, then maybe you should reconsider…(Quoting)
- Does it bring me closer to Jesus?
- Does it bring me closer to my family?
- Does it bring me Joy?
I love these questions and will strive even in our own family to make sure we can say yes to at least two of them before committing to an event/activity. What will you do to make sure you are simplifying the season?
Simplifying the season can be done with these 3 questions... Click To Tweet
You May Also Like
Jenny this is such a great post! I bookmaked a few of these articles! thank you!
Awesome! So glad you liked them!
Love this post! It’s so important to remember the reason for the season and not get caught up in the stress!
I couldn’t agree more with you my friend!
This list is perfection!!! Very helpful!!!! Great post, Jenny!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Yay! So glad you liked it and found it helpful! XOXO!
Great Blog! Might I just add one more thing to remember,
Once Upon a Time ……There Was Time!
So turn off the TV, turn off the cell phone, and turn off your computer, (after you read these blogs) lol and step back in time! I drove several hours in the car yesterday, and never turned on the radio. I decided to pray for people in the cars that passed me, or met me at a intersection. In between, I wanted to listen to the Lord, just in case He was trying to talk to me, and I had been to busy to listen!
It was such a pleasant day, and I was reminded the best gifts are not available in stores.
Spend time with Jesus, and then your family, friends, and even strangers!
Tis the season to remember how Good God is, All the Time!!!
Couldn’t agree with you more! I don’t turn on the tv much anymore, I prefer the quiet. And when I am driving I often just pray. But I learned from you! Love you mom!
A great article Jenny! Its so easy to get distracted even when you have good intentions. One minute I am looking for Christmas leggings and before I know it has become a part time job trying to score a pair. lol.
Yeah, I totally understand…but I am trying to remember not to sweat the small stuff, especially this time of year!
I love that you rounded up all these posts! I like the holiday baking guide!
Yeah, that baking guide is awesome!
Loved this post Jenny! You’ve found some great articles and I can’t wait to check them all out. I especially like the title “Tis the Season to Cut Yourself Some Slack”. 😉
Right?!? I loved that one too! So good! I’m gonna cut myself some slack!;)
This is spot-on! And I’m excited to bustle off and check out some of those other links… especially the baking one! Baking truly does bring me joy, but the time it takes away from other tasks can be a stressor 🙂
So glad you liked this one! Yes, baking is one of my favorites too, but it can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to the clean up!