Two Things to Keep Jesus at the Center of Christmas

Christmas is in full swing everywhere you go! The shops are filled with window displays of a perfect Christmas scene, the mailman delivers his bout of Christmas cards, and everyone rushes from here to there attending Christmas banquets, parties, and shows. The greenery and lights are strung, while carols play on the radio. The best recipes make their ways into the oven and presents are wrapped to go under the tree. 

The hustle and bustle is something we just assume comes along with the Christmas season — as well as the stress of purchasing gifts that everyone will like, and all of the decorating still left to do. We sometimes tack on peace, love, and joy as afterthoughts, hoping it’s enough. The main focus of this holiday should be the birth of our Savior, and what better way to do that than to display peace, love, and joy in our everyday lives? Make it a point to share those things with someone this season! 

This Christmas I would like to challenge you to take a step back and do two things that help me keep Jesus at the center:

1. Reflect. Reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and what it is that we are really celebrating. If you are more concerned about getting your tree to look just right and spending more time decorating it than the amount of time that you are spending with Jesus . . . you may want to reconsider your priorities.  We all want to have the perfect Christmas, but what we often don’t realize is that we already have all we could ever want or need when we have Jesus at the center. Take some time to meditate on the miracle that was the birth of Jesus and share it with someone. 
2. Simplify. Simplify the way you think about Christmas. Don’t get yourself wrapped up in all of the things that don’t really matter at all: the gifts, the tree, the decor, the parties, the cooking, the traditions. Instead, simplify those thoughts and focus on having a night where you spend quality time with those who mean the world to you — whether that means having a game night, bringing out old picture books and telling stories, or baking your favorite cookies together.

Do you have any other tips that help you and your family celebrate in a way that keeps Christ at the center of the Christmas season? I’d love to hear about them! Comment your ideas below to share with everyone.