How Can We Prepare for this Season?

Not long after Dale and I got married back in 1986, I made a decision to get all of my Christmas “prep” work done before Thanksgiving.  Now before you all start hating on me for that, let me explain why I thought that was necessary.

At the time, I was working long hours for USWest Communications, I was going to be deeply involved in the Christmas music at our church, and we were hosting one or both sides of the family at our home for the holidays. 

So my rationale for the decision was that I needed to get all the shopping, wrapping, baking, letter writing, and Christmas card prep done in advance so that I could enjoy the things of Christmas that were most important – celebrating the birth of Christ, and spending time with friends and family.

Decades later, I’m not working a high stress job, I’m doing a little music during the holiday, and many of those family members have passed away or moved away, so I’m not hosting large family gatherings.  Or any family gatherings.

The need to get all those jobs done prior to Thanksgiving doesn’t exist any longer, but after so many years of following that routine, it has now become stuck permanently!  Yep, mine is usually the first Christmas card of the season to arrive at your mailbox.

So back to the reason for my mad dash in November – wanting to focus on the true meaning of Christmas.  How often have we heard that phrase?  And doesn’t that sound like a noble goal on my part?  I can tell you that my intentions were sincere, but as we enter this Advent Season, I had to question if I had really followed through on that intent.

What does it look like to spend our time in proper preparation for this holy time of year?  And more convicting for me, had I really achieved that through all these years?

Today as I write this (December 1^st), I must confess that I did not spend the majority of those past Decembers in prayerful, or joyful anticipation of Christ’s birth.  What had I been doing with all that extra time?

I can’t speak definitively about every one of those 35+ years in the past, but I do know that I continued to get caught up in much of the craziness and busyness and even commercialism of the season.  Doing all those tasks ahead of time essentially gave me more time to engage in so many of the activities I was trying to avoid.  Epic fail!

Now that my life is infinitely less complicated, have I truly tried to re-engage with that original noble goal?  Sadly, I’m more likely to spend much of this holiday “alone time” feeling a bit sorry for myself because so much of what my life consisted of back then is now gone.

Here’s where God started to get my attention.  Could I not find a better plan for this month than feeling sad?  Could I be intentional about some “activities” that could be more God-honoring?  Are there others in my world who need someone to step into their lives with words of encouragement?

I was driving as all this was going on in my head today and I started brainstorming some possibilities.  Here’s what I’ve come up with thus far.

• Read one or more Advent devotionals.
• Read the Gospel accounts (Matthew and Luke) of Jesus’ birth – maybe multiple times.
• Sit quietly with just the Christmas lights on and listen for God’s voice.
• List specific prayer requests related to this Christmas season.
• Stroll through the beautifully decorated neighborhoods while praying over those requests.
• Carve out 10-15 minutes to pray for others.
• (For me) play my favorite Christmas hymns on the piano.
• Search out the hymn stories behind those familiar carols.  And then sing or read through them again with this new insight.
• Call someone who could benefit from a conversation with you – family or friends.
• Watch uplifting Christmas movies.
• Schedule coffee or a meal or a walk with a friend who needs you.
• Attend an uplifting Christmas concert or event.
• Serve in some capacity, whether it be in your church or a soup kitchen.  Do something that puts the focus on those Jesus would have been likely to minister to.

As I was typing these ideas, I felt a little like I do when I read about the Proverbs 31 woman.  Who in the world could actually do all those things?!

This is not my attempt to make you feel frustrated or inadequate.  It’s simply a list to start you thinking about what ideas might fit into your December world.  Or to get you brainstorming your own list.

Because my life is so much less complicated and committed than it used to be, my hope and prayer is that I will be able to fit many of these ideas into the next few weeks.  I am happy to report that I have already accomplished some of these in the past few days, and there are more on my calendar.

Regardless of what ideas you may implement, or if you have no extra time for any of these, my prayer is that your mind can be fixed on Jesus and what his incarnation means to those of us who have asked him to be the Lord and Savior of our lives.

Maybe this year, focusing on the “reason for the season” can become more than a catchphrase.  I pray it can become a reality that sinks deep into our souls.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,

and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father,

full of grace and truth.

John 1:14