To Get Through The Holidays, Invite Jesus to Come Over

By Cindy Jury

As a woman, how do you react when you realize it’s baaaaaack –– the holiday season!
I am sure it is different for each woman –– and yes, men, too. But there seems to be a holiday stress syndrome that affects a large number of women.
I invite you to ask yourself these questions: First, what do you do every year that really works for you and those you share the holidays with? And secondly, what do you do that does not work for you?
One thing that our family does that works for us is on Christmas we have a birthday cake for dessert. We sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. Every year we ask each other, Why do we get the gifts on Jesus’ birthday? This usually leads us into a discussion of the true meaning of Christmas, the real gift: The birth of our savior. And the gift of forgiveness and eternal life if we choose to unwrap it. Even though we are eating cake, this is the meat of the holidays for us.
On to what does not work for us. One of the many things that I seem to repeat that does not work is to overschedule. One solution to avoid inviting this crazed, mad woman back into my life this season might be to schedule-in the holiday responsibilities, prioritize and schedule-out other things.
Well, now I see an image of a woman frantically saying, “But I can’t not do this or that!” It is a choice: Yes, you can.
But if this is not for you, another option might be to simplify your holiday plans. Think outside the box and do things differently for your own unique situation.
Another thing that can cause holiday stress is (drum roll, please) family dynamics. One tool that you can go into Christmas with is a realization that family tensions tend to intensify around the holidays. If you go into the holidays with this realization wrapped around your tool belt or apron, it won’t seem like such a surprise if it happens.
Is it the sister that gets upset every year? That complicated relationship with a family member? Children that have other plans? Parental issues? Expectations not met? Think about it. If it is something that has come up more than once, you might pray in advance for a Godly way to respond –– or not respond –– to this. Also, think of practical ways to deal with this.
Another way to keep holiday stress at bay is to keep your sense of humor close. One year we took the turkey out of the oven and it looked like it had caved in. We were thinking, How could they sell us this boney turkey? Well, after a little investigation, we realized that I had put it in upside down. As soon as we turned it over, voila! A beautiful, meaty turkey.
What if you are alone? You might consider inviting people over. Who knows, maybe they will say no, thank you, please join us.
In conclusion, we plan so many things in our lives –– grocery lists, to-do lists and so on. Take some time out to think about the season in advance. You might pray for God to show you how to balance it all with His grace.
Think about my boney turkey when things go wrong. Invite Jesus to join you throughout the holidays.
And remember, New Year’s is right around the corner!

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