Christmas Countdown #3: Making this Christmas the Best Ever

I have a two-year-old grandson who carries his beloved bunny with him everywhere. Sometimes said bunny slows him down but he doesn’t care, Bunny is beloved and makes life better for him. I’ve seen him playing on the playground with Bunny’s ears dragging on the ground as he climbs, runs, and slides down slides. While I was visiting him we were upstairs at his house and he wanted to go downstairs. He handed me Bunny so he could climb down the stairs. He had to release Bunny so he could keep his balance and not fall. Grandma was trusted to get Bunny to the bottom of the stairs. He released Bunny for his greater good.

As Christmas merrily approaches, perhaps there are things we can release to fully embrace the holiday season? 

What do you need to let go of?

I was listening to a wonderful sermon preached by Pastor Mark Moore…

He encouraged us to do three things as we celebrate the coming festivities.

1. Forgive. Mark explained that before we forgive someone, we need to name what was taken from us. Identify how we were hurt and its impact, and recognize what was taken from us. When we acknowledge our hurt first then we can fully embrace what it is we are forgiving. Once we name the offense then we can forgive the offense.
2. Release. We need to release the right for revenge. Revenge doesn’t heal us or take away what’s happened to us. We need to release our feelings of retribution and revenge and fully forgive.
3. Don’t be a victim. We need to reject the reduction of “you” as a victim. When we reduce our feelings to that of victimhood we accept the victim mentality and see ourselves as victims. We need to reject this mindset and announce that we are not a victim.

Then, once we have done the above we can embrace gratitude and be outward focused. In other words, be thankful and look to bless others.  

During this Christmas season it might be possible that we will run into those who have hurt us in the past and doing the above will help us have more joy and cheer and peace.

What do you need to let go of during this Christmas season?

Maybe you need to release the pressure and anxiety on yourself to make everything perfect? I understand this desire and have reached for it myself only to be left tumbling and gasping. Trying to make everyone happy and trying to fix every problem and running frantically to please everybody is like being a hamster on a wheel. Let go of trying to make all things perfect. I’ve learned to do that and it has brought so much peace. Peace over perfect.

Maybe you need to let go of unrealistic expectations? How many of you, like me, have felt disappointed by the end of Christmas day? I would build this one day up so high in my mind and if there were any faux-pas or mishaps I’d feel like I had failed in some way. Or if the cheer and glee wasn’t like the Christmas movies I had watched my heart would sink. Listen, life and reality and Aunt Tata’s snide remarks don’t need to derail us. If we level our expectations and consider the “real” world we can still have merry and cheer. We just need to be realistic.

Maybe you need to let go of last year’s grudge? Is there a grudge you’ve been holding on to? Perhaps it’s time to release it and give yourself the gift of peace?

Maybe you need to release jumping into family drama? If your family is anything like mine chaos and drama just might rise for the Deck the Halls dance. It just might happen, but we can choose to stay clear of it. We do not need to jump into the family drama. Better to stay on the outside of the drama Christmas dance.

Maybe you need to let go of Christmas cards or baking or elaborate decorations? All of those things are wonderful and nice, but if it causes stress and anxiety is it worth it? It’s okay to do what YOU can do to keep your yuletide joy alive.

Just like my grandson’s beloved bunny, sometimes we need to release things in order to bring in what’s best for us.  

Thanks for visiting LuSays. Need a gift for the season? Check out books by Lucille Williams: Know someone who’s getting married? From Me to We would make the perfect gift. Want to give someone some fun laughs and a boost in their intimacy department? The Intimacy You Crave is a fun gift. Know a mom who could use some encouragement? Order a copy of The Impossible Kid.  And a perfect gift for the little ones Turtle Finds His Talent for ages 2-6.