A few days after Thanksgiving, my husband had the chance to take a two-hour shift and ring the bell for the Salvation Army and stand watch over a kettle outside Walmart.
The fun part was, he dressed as Santa, and even more fun was seeing reactions of children of all ages.
Some friends came by, strangers too, and asked for pictures with him as they stuffed bills or coins into the locked kettle.
One thing I noticed, though, amid the shoppers zipping in and out of Walmart that night:
People are tired.
Not just tired, but weary.
It was a weeknight, not quite peak Christmas shopping season, and already people looked liked they’d rather find a quiet corner and do anything except go into the store.
Their faces, their eyes etched with a big case of the tireds.
I hear ya; sometimes, the last thing you want to do is the thing that must be done.
Also, I’ll cut people some slack on a few of those weary looks. When I’m thinking deeply or on a mission, I’m definitely not looking very jolly or enthusiastic. More like preoccupied.
However, a good number of people appeared weary.
Weary of having to do one more thing.
Weary of explaining to a kid why dad or mom won’t be there for Christmas.
Weary of adding just one more thing to an already packed schedule.
Weary of having to think of purchasing one more gift.
December, a time of rejoicing?
More like over-scheduled, over-shopped, over-tinseled, over-booked, over-partied, over-gifted.
Add all that to the normal mix of life, of bills, of relationships and their ups and downs, of jobs, of family members sick, tired, cranky, you name it.
I hear ya.
Why, oh why, do we do this to ourselves, this heaping more on top of our weariness?
We think that when we are busier, do more, make more, bake more, buy more, wrap more, gift more, party more, carol more that we’ll have a better Christmas.
Those things don’t make Christmas better, but make us more tired.
Maybe better is simpler. Maybe a Christmas of rest and not doing quite so much will make it more meaningful.
Maybe if we slow down long enough to think about what Christmas means, apart from the commercial onslaught that’s been attacking us since October, maybe that’s when we’ll find some relief from our weariness.
What are some ways you try to slow down at Christmas time?
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And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Lynette Sowell is the award-winning author of over 15 titles for Barbour Publishing, Harlequin, and Abingdon Press. Lynette was born in Western Massachusetts in the shadow of the Berkshire Mountains, raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, but makes her home on the doorstep of the Texas hill country. She loves reading, cooking, watching movies, and is always up for a Texas road trip. When she's not writing fiction, she works as a reporter for her city newspaper and has a weekly column called My Front Porch.
Focusing on the true meaning of Christmas is one way that I slow down at Christmas, Lynette. I treasure the time with my family because we never know what the new year will bring. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
One way I slow down at Christmas is to give myself permission to not do everything…and not feel guilty about it. If I get to do something, am not too tired, have the desire, then great! But if I need a break, a restful night at home on the couch, a relaxing soak in the tub, then that’s what I need to do. And no guilt about it!
Merry rest-filled Christmas!
Merry Christmas Lynette. One way to slow down at Christmas is to have realistic expectations. While working full time with children still living at home and caring for my aging parents, I never baked Christmas cookies. As an early riser, I had 10 minutes of quiet each morning gazing at the Christmas tree reflecting on God’s goodness and praying “Lord give me strength and help me through the day.” In the car I listened to uplifting Christmas carols. But there were years when because of unforeseen circumstances (death, illness, joblessness, a house fire), I was weary. Today LIFE is even more difficult – people work longer and harder to make ends meet. Now for the holidays, I pray that God will give the weary rest – rest for their bodies and spirits.
I’ve slowed down in the past few years in the shopping department – who really needs more stuff for the sake of stuff? I’ve slowed down in the Christmas party department – my boss (me) doesn’t throw them! I’ve slowed down in the decorating department – smaller tree, fewer ornaments and those chosen for meaning. But I’ve speeded up in the time spent with my family and focusing on Jesus. Do I still get caught in ‘the trap?’ Yes… but now I know the way out of it!
Every year is different. This year I decorated less because we had our house painted, and I’m not going to put up all the outside stuff for only a couple of weeks. Too much work unless I have it up for at least a month. I like to get the decorating done early, so I can enjoy it for several weeks. This week is my week for parties. I have something every day. Today is my granddaughter’s birthday. She is eight and excited.
Lynette,
Thank you so much for writing this. I needed to read this today. I’m trying really hard this year not to pack it full of extra stuff. Resting and pondering what God did for us is truly a blessed thing. I also want to try applying this ALL year. Unfortunately we will be having a stress related time next week when we go stay at my in-laws. There will be lots of people (15) and dogs (6) and it seems as the years go by the difference in our beliefs are much more pronounced OR it could also be they’re all getting older and set in their ways. My in-laws are not Christians and see no need for Christ in their lives because they are “good people.” We’ve tried many times to share with them and they push us away. We are the “black-sheep” of the family. (In their eyes!)
This year I didn’t do the church Christmas musical. I love to sing, but it is a huge commitment. We’re also not traveling since we are packing and having the circa 1972 kitchen cabinets replaced to be ready to sell in spring.
We have done bell ringing with our church. It is a lot of fun.
Thanks Lynette! A timely reminder. My health issues are forcing me to slow down this Christmas, all my shopping done online, as I can’t get to the stores. It’s a lot more relaxing not to be out in the crowds and the noise.
One thing we started doing about 5 years ago is only give gifts to close family, and then mostly to the kids. Everyone else gets a card telling which missions project we’ve donated money to in their name.
I’ve cut down on my decorating the past few years. My thought is: What goes up, must come down again, so as I’m the one who puts most of it up and takes it down, I just put up less. I’ve also cut way down on my shopping. The kids and their spouses and the older grandkids get money from us (it’s always the right color and size, and they love to buy themselves something they actually want). I still buy gifts for the youngest grandkids, but I usually just ask for suggestions from their parents and buy most of them online.
I think a lot of stress comes from people feeling they have to spend a lot of money to make everyone happy. Some of the best gifts are the gifts of time, not expensive toys. I always think–Would Christ want us to go into debt to celebrate his birthday? I think not. He’d want us to keep it simple and meaningful.
Every year, we pare down our Christmas even more. I don’t send out cards, and no more loading up the credit cards buying presents no one remembers they received by the end of the year. Our church services during this season are the most memorable for me: lighting the Advent candle, singing carols in the choir, enjoying a Sunday night meal with friends. Relationships…with our family, friends, and the Lord…make Christmas that special time of year for me. TV commercials? We hit the mute button and enjoy the peace and quiet.
Great post! December stresses people out! I avoid the malls for the whole month of December! My birthday in November gets overlooked! I do like being together with my mother and brother on Christmas Eve! I also enjoy watching Jimmy Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life! Happy holidays to you!
I’ve done what others have mentioned here: cut down our card sending to just a few close friends, family gets ecards especially personalized for them, bought gifts for just our family (mostly gift cards), and bought a new smaller artificial tree & just put up the special ornaments. Really cuts down on the stress and makes me relax and enjoy Christmas day with my family.
Oh and I forgot to mention, checking out our favorite Christmas DVD’s from our library to watch :-) That’s a relaxing end to our evenings!