I still screw
up the calendar.
And now it's
December. The month when we routinely add 314 things to our calendar
that we will feel guilty about never being able to do. Because that's
what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.
We are
calendarically challenged (your new word of the month), and we need
to slow it down for the holidays, not ramp it up. That's not to say we
turn down social occasions and stay at home all month with our
twinkling lights. Socializing is good, even for us flaming
introverts. But let's slow it down to the right kind of socializing.
Prioritize.
What really “makes” Christmas for your family members? Cutting
down the tree? Christmas Eve service? Eating baking cookies? Listen
to every person, and then schedule in the things that matter the most
to each person. Yes, schedule in baking cookies. Or it will happen at
the last minute because you have to squeeze it in and you're
frazzled. This is not the time to be adjacent to knives, blenders,
and hot ovens.
Everyone feels
listened to, and the important things happen.
Add in slowly.
Start to pick other things you want or have to do. School programs.
Worship time. Visits with people from out of town. Look at each time-sucker holiday event and ask your self a couple questions. Is this
something I really want to do? Is it something that means a lot to
another person? Is it something that shows my gratitude toward God?
Is it something I have to do or risk unemployment? If the answer is
yes, put it on the calendar. When something new comes up, go through
the mental process of asking these questions before you make an
automatic yes. (Or no.)
Protect downtime.
Keep free time free. Resist the urge to fill it in with
“just one things more.” Yes, it might fit. Yes, you might enjoy
it. But it will also stress you out to look at a full calendar and
feel like you cannot escape its selfish demands. Guard those
non-colored areas on your calendar as if they are gold. They are.
They are your golden time to do nothing, enjoy one another, read
together, or go on a drive in your pajamas to see lights. These are
important activities. If you decide at the time that you can and want
to do that one extra thing? Then do it. But you'll be free to choose.
This is the only time I'm going to give you a pass on not committing
to an event. Treasure it.
Celebrate weirdly.
My family usually gets together after Christmas sometime.
The crazy is over, the gifts are half price, and everyone is sick of
coma inducing amounts of food so there's no need to cook lavishly.
Choose a not-normal time for those things you'd like to do but can't
fit in. A breakfast party instead of a dinner one. Invite families to
volunteer together. Have friends with little ones over for hot
chocolate, pj's, and a favorite Christmas story time after dinner and
before bed. It's short and sweet and fun. Create an event at a time
no one thinks of, and since you created it, you get to make the
rules. Rules are, you don't have to set up a photo booth and handmade
placecards. Unless you want to.
Leave Room.
Sometimes,
interruptions to your calendar are good. The shepherds' willingness to
listen to the angels and take off for the stable meant only good
things. I'm not sure how the Christmas story would have gone down if
they had said to the angelic host, “You know, we're kind of
stressed right now. Can we take a pass on the newborn king thing?
Maybe next month, when things slow down.” Well, I am sure. God
would have found someone else to do their job. And they would have
missed out.
But divine interruptions can't happen with a blacked-out calendar. Leave room. Leave room for His presence to surprise you on a starry night.
No comments:
Post a Comment