Christmas To Do List: (in no particular order)

Put all my daughters’ school Christmas activity in my diary so I don’t miss anything

Buy my daughter a Christmas jumper to wear for school – forget to send the £1 donation in

Book tickets for school Christmas Sing Along

Pay for School Christmas Elf Markets

Check budget

Book time off work for School brass band concert

Cancel time off work for School Brass band concert as dad & nana are going

Be at church for school Christingle service

Get tree out of shed – find a day it’s not raining to do this!

Put tree up after sitting in the living room in the box for 4 days

Make paper snowflakes as a fun activity to do with my daughter, to create a winter wonderland

Put paper snowflakes up a week after they have sat on the living room floor

Start waking up 20 minutes earlier in the morning to work out (n the hope of losing some weight)

Think of stuff for the elves to do – the elves, aaaaagghhh!!!

Send elves away to the North Pole as you have had enough – good riddance!

Ask daughter for her Christmas list – Shudder inside every time you hear her add something else to the list each time someone’s asks

Check budget

Write Christmas cards

Send Christmas cards

Book Christmas Day meal out rather than cooking

Cancel Christmas meal out as on reflection it’s just too expensive

Plan Christmas Day meal

Clean house in preparation for having people over

Source additional chairs for people to sit on

Find a babysitter for works Christmas meal out

Attend works Christmas meal out

Visit Christmas Markets with the family so we can spend £5 on a hot chocolate

Check budget

Wear Christmas Jumper on Christmas Jumper Day at work

Decide what you are going to wear on Christmas day that actually fits you

Decide you also need to go on a diet until Christmas day, so then you can eat what you like

Check budget

How does your list look? Now I am not moaning, most of the above is just standard stuff we have to think about at this time of year, especially as a mum. But why do we insist on making so much work for ourselves? Over complicating things? We can get so caught up in all these activities that we forget what Christmas is all about.

I look forward to Christmas, because of what it means for me,  as a Christian, it is a time to remember the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus wasn’t actually born on the 25^th December but over time this tradition was created as a symbolic time. A time to be thankful for what God has done in my life. A time to truly think about what’s important in life.

But there’s a part of me that can’t wait for Christmas to be over. A part of me that doesn’t like the commercialisation of it, the busyness, the expectation, the cost, the running round, the awareness of the brokenness of family structures and family relationships, the trying to please everyone or the fact that Jesus is not the reason many celebrate Christmas.

But actually, Christmas is not about how much money we can spend or how much food we can eat, although we probably do far too much of both of those things, its about love. It’s about the fact that God sent Jesus to be born as a human being as part of his plan for salvation, to save us from harm, ruin, or loss. It was part of his plan for my life and for your life.

John 3:16-17 New King James Version (NKJV)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Try to remember that while you’re in this season. Try to remember that your children don’t need you to spend all that money for you to show them you love them. Try to remember that you love those people who are round on Christmas day when that argument breaks out. Try to remember those less fortunate than you and spread some love to them too. Try to be kind to yourself and extend that love to yourself. And most importantly remember that God loves you and he does have a plan for your life, all you have to do is reach out to him and invite him into your home this Christmas. Let this Christmas be about more than gifts and food, among the busyness of your to do list, find time to reflect on what’s truly important in life.

Merry Christmas.

Love,

Amber

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